The Quest of Time: Now or Never
by Sav3MyS0ul
Summary: Lizzie is a strong, independent working woman with a man she loves but a freak accident lands her in 19th century. She tries to search her way back with the help of a stranger. Is her 21st century feminist mind too much to handle for Darcy?
1. Chapter 1

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

_Hi Guys, this is my first fan fic. Please read it, review it and I do not need to say that I do not own Pride and Prejudice or any of its characters, just the few characters which I made up. _

_Please, please, please review. I will love to hear any constructive criticism. Anything which helps me to improve._

_Edit: I have corrected my grammar and spelling mistakes._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 1**

The evening just took its turn from bad to worse, as Lizzie tried to drive through heavy rain and storm in a dark and busy highway. She was already late to reach her destination by more than three hours and was driving faster than usual to make up for the lost time but the rain and mist was making it harder for her to look through the road. She was cursing the driver ahead her who was driving very slowly, more on the lower to the speed limit to drive on the highway rather on the higher limit.

"Come on, learn to drive first then step on the highway, pal! What's up with you? Is something wrong with your ear buddy? Can't you hear the horn yelling at you to move aside?" She yelled loudly to the car in front of her and then changed the lane so that she could overtake him.

She always hated slow drivers on the road. Speed always thrilled her and she enjoyed driving fast on the long and less busy roads. She got this fascination of speed from her father. He always used to take her to school and everywhere on his motorcycle, and he was definitely a fast and reckless driver according to many people but Lizzie liked that feeling she got driving fast in the motorcycle. It was like flying.

Lizzie's job mostly required her to work in the comfort of an office but she volunteered for this work to deliver and deploy the technical equipments to Scotland. She always loved travelling to far and unusual places, meet and work with people from different fields and this job gave her the perfect opportunity to do so.

She was pushing her accelerator harder and hoping to reach her destination before midnight. The inside of wind shield was covered with foggy water, and she used her hand to clear the glass to get a clear view of the road. Suddenly her cell phone rang and she annoyingly picked it up. But as soon as she heard the voice on the other side, all her irritation vanished.

"Hello. Lizzie, are you there?"

"I'm here Chris, I am so glad to hear your voice 'cause I'm really having a bad road trip."

"What happened? Why didn't you call me? You said you will call me as soon as you reach there, I was so worried and"

She broke Chris in the middle and replied gloomily, "I didn't call you because I am not there yet. I am still on my way."

Chris asked worriedly, "Why, what happed, did you have any trouble on the way. I knew it; your car is not worth a long trip. I told you to take my car instead but you never listen to me."

She sighed, "No, there was no trouble with my car and thank you very much for the offer, but I love my own car. It is more environmental friendly than yours." she snickered. She always adores when Chris is so caring and protective but right then he was just getting on already bad nerve.

"So, what happened? You should have been there like an hour ago."

"I was distracted on my way"

"What? Why? What happened?"

"Nothing happened", she smiled and continued. "I took a pit stop to stretch my legs in a small village on my way and there was such a beautiful tower near a very old and mesmerising church that I went to see it. Oh Chris, it was so beautiful and the view from top of the tower was so breath taking. I couldn't resist such a good photo opportunity. I could see the whole village, hills, and fields and lakes from there. "

"What? Are you crazy; you are late because you went up to a tower to take pictures? Really, you have some glitch in your brain", Chris said laughingly.

She rolled her eyes and said, "You already know I am crazy. But you have to be there to see how perfect and beautiful it was. And before I came to my senses, I was already three hours late. So I am hurrying now."

"Ok, so how long will it take you to be there?"

"Couple of hours or maybe more. Its such a bad weather. It is raining so hard, like a tropical storm here. I'll call you as soon as I reach there. "

"Don't drive so fast in the storm then. You know how easily accidents can happen. Drive carefully. Just reach there in one piece and call me." Chris said cautiously.

Lizzie laughed, "Alright Mommy, I will. Don't worry. I'll be fine. The evening could not get any worse than this, I am sure. You just take care of yourself. I'll talk to you later because I cannot concentrate on my driving if I am talking on the phone. Which, I should add could cause an accident."

"Ok, ok. Talk to you later. Bye and I love you and miss you." He said lovingly.

"Already, I thought you'll enjoy few days away from me. As you always say, I drive you crazy." She said amusingly.

"Yeah you do, but you are going for two weeks and just thinking of staying away from you for so long makes me miss you even more."

"You are such a baby, don't worry, I'll be there with you even before you know and start to miss me for real."

"Yeah, I know and call me as soon as you reach there. I love you"

"I will and I love you more." She added and finished the call and kept the cell phone on dashboard.

Lizzie was consumed on her thoughts about Chris, how happy she was to have him in her life. She didn't focus on the road and suddenly she saw a bright light ahead of her which came from nowhere. She hit the break scared that the lightning hit the road ahead of her and might even hit her car. But her car was far too fast to stop, it seemed like the car went through the light and she felt a shock ran through her body. The car came off the road losing all the control and skid downhill to the forest.

* * *

Please people review. Cookies for anyone who reviws ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

I_ want to thank everymonday for her review and suggestions. I really appreciate it. Also icyblossom3, thanks for your support._

_I am repeating again, please review. This time ice-cream for anyone who reviews._

_Oh and I do not own P & P. Wish I would though._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

It was quiet and dark, Lizzie opened her eyes and all she could see was darkness around her. The storm was over; there were few lightning still visible in the sky. She had no idea how long she was unconscious and where she was. She looked around and only things visible through her car headlights were a water body, maybe a lake and huge field in the middle of the forest. She turned on the light in her car and checked the time, it was 11:42 pm and she realised that she had been passed out for hours. She looked around for her cell phone to dial the emergency number.

She constantly told herself "Everything will be alright. I just have to call for help and everything will be alright." Even though she had the accident and was hurt, she was calm and collected.

Lizzie found her phone and silently thanked God that it wasn't broken. She dialled the emergency number but all she got was a message for 'No Network Coverage'. She tried again and again but still got no network connection. She cursed the phone and tried to get out of the car. She tried to open her seatbelt but it was struck, she pulled harder and harder and in the process hit her elbow on window glass.

"Fuck, what the hell is wrong with you!!" she screamed at her seatbelt and started to panic. She always had the phobia of small and confined places and the feeling of trapped in the car was not helping her. Lizzie took several deep breaths to calm herself down and again tried the seat belts and this time pleaded it to open.

"Please, I am begging you. Come on, be nice.", and it opened. She felt relaxed when she freed herself.

"Thank you, finally. Now assess the damage", she told herself and checked herself for injuries. She checked herself in the rear view mirror, she had minor cuts and bruises on her forehead, must have hit her head and lost consciousness. She also felt some bump on her head, bruises on her shoulder, strain in her arm and pain in her left knee, because of the impact of the crash. But no body parts were seriously injured or bleeding, no bone broken or internal injury. She was in lots of pain but pain never bothered her so much, she was in no desperate need of a medic but she wanted to get out of that place very badly and find someone to get help.

Lizzie tried to start her car, it came to life, she thanked God and put on the reverse gear and pressed the accelerator but the car didn't move. The wheels were moving but the car didn't move. She cursed and slowly opened the car door which creaked and slid out to examine the problem. It was drizzling a little and she walked into the mud and examined the damage to the car, it has scratches and bumps and its wheels were struck into the mud, that was why the wheels were turning but the car was not moving an inch. There was not too much damage to the car and she thought she might be able to drive it again once it was moved from the mud. She sighed and took out her cell phone, still no signal. She raised her hand, moved to left, right and to the higher ground to get some signal but none of it was working. She was so frustrated with herself and how the things turned in just few hours that she wanted to scream, cry and get all the frustration out of the system but she kept her cool.

Lizzie told herself "Now is not the time to panic, it is time to think and survive. Just concentrate on getting out of here safely". She started to look around and for the first time took a good look at the whole surrounding. She was standing in a big field with a lake in the front; one of her wheels was in the water. The field looked large as much as she could figure out in the dark. On her left were big and long trees, which looked like a dense forest and on the right were some shrubs and higher ground which lead to larger fields. On her back, where she came crashing and sliding from was slope. No wonder she could not control her car sliding down the slope with all the mud and hit the tree and crashed into the lake. She decided to go back to the way car slid through and find the highway again and stop any cars on the road for help. She also hoped to get a signal on her phone on higher ground.

Lizzie packed her flash light, water, wallet and some essential things into her knapsack, put her jumper on started the hike. She took the same path where her car slid through which was very muddy and slippery due to rain and storm. She fell down a lot but was determined to go on. When she reached at the top of the slope she could barely see anything in the dark. She did not see any lights of the vehicles on the highway, or any other place of human existence. Every inch of the ground she could see was dark and quiet. There was no noise, no sound and everything was quiet and still. Her head was screaming with panic, fear and uneasiness with all the silence around her. She felt in her gut that something was not right, she had this eerie sensation that she did not belong there.

Lizzie was a very intuitive and she always listened to her intuition. She looked all around again and only saw darkness around and lightning in the sky, only heard the sound of leaves of trees waving with the wind and complete silence from the surrounding, only felt the rain drizzle on her face and no sign of human life. She took a deep breath and went back to her car. She decided it was safer for her to wait in the car and look for help first thing in the morning in daylight. She crept into the back car seat tired, dejected and wet and fell asleep scared and apprehensive of what the morning will bring to her.

* * *

_Please people review the story. Really need your feed back to improve the story._

_Also Darcy's intro in next chapter so keep reading :)_

_Cheers._


	3. Chapter 3

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

_OK guys, first of all I am really glad so many people like my story. I want to thank all the people who took their time out to review. Also thanks to fireboltcrazed, MAB, Miriam, Gentileschi, Elliot Anne, Taraiana, icyblossom3 and everymonday for support. Ice-creams to all of you, chocolate chips, butter scotch, cookie dough, all of my favourite ice-cream I am offering you._

_Also I wanted to point out here is that I totally suck at writing the Regency era English, so all of my dialogues of the characters from 19th century does not sound like that. I tried to write in that style but I totally suck at it. So please people, do not complain if it does not sound right. I am trying to make it authentic but it just sounds funny, so I just wrote it as I thought it as right. I am sorry about that but please deal with this limitation of mine._

_I really appreciate you reading it and will love you more if you review it and said what you like and do not like. Constructive criticisms are most welcome._

_Totally forgot to mention, I do not own P&P._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 3**

Lizzie woke up stiff and felt pain and cramp in her body. She looked around wondering where she was and what was she doing in the back of her car. Then all the events of the last night came crashing back to her. She hurriedly stepped out of her car and switched on her cell phone which still showed no signal.

"Dammit, what the hell is wrong with you", she yelled at her phone getting frustrated. She checked her watch and it was seven in the morning and it was bright enough to look around for help. She decided to look for highway again and try to find someone.

Lizzie grabbed her knapsack she had packed last night for the trek; she was not sure how far she had to walk and when she could find help. She started towards the same path she took last night but suddenly she heard a distinct sound of horse hoofs. She looked around in the direction of the sound which was coming from the larger field through the shrubs. She was a little apprehensive of what was there and then she saw a man riding on a horse about hundred yards away in the grassland. Excitedly she started calling to the rider for help, jumping up and down, waving her hand high to catch his attention. She was not sure if the man could hear her, so she started running towards him still shouting.

Lizzie was scared to lose such an opportunity of getting help in the middle of nowhere. She was shouting on top of her lungs, even though she was tired and thirsty, she was running so fast forgetting all the pain she was feeling to catch the attention of this stranger, but he was too far away from her and was riding away from her. Suddenly the man shifted his weight and turned his horse around towards her direction. She sighed in relief and kneeled down on ground tired and thanked God for a trace of good luck after a really crappy twelve hours.

The rider came to her on his horse and Lizzie rose to talk to him. He slowly came towards her, and now she could see him properly, he was young man in his late twenties, tall with dark hair and well build. The stranger slowly stepped down from his horse ten feet away from her; he had a look of amazement in his eyes as he walked towards her. He was staring at her like she was some kind of a freak; this made Lizzie feel very uncomfortable, just the sheer intensity of his gaze made her want to run, but she was in trouble and has no other option than him. So she hesitantly started to talk to him.

"Oh, thank God I found you. I really need your help, I'm in big trouble", she started off but he was staring at her bewildered and silent.

She felt self-conscious by his attitude but she went on "You see, I had an accident last night and I couldn't find cell phone reception here to call for help and my car is struck there in the mud. I am kind of trapped here. I'll really appreciate if I could use your phone to call for help". The man looked around and gazed her from top to bottom as she was talking, this made her very uncomfortable.

Lizzie puzzled by this stranger's behaviour thought that he could not understand her because she was talking so fast. So she repeated herself slowly and enunciating each word carefully but still she got no response from this strange man. So she tried again by making signs by her hands of driving a car, hitting a tree and injuring herself. She felt silly doing this but she tried as much as possible so that the stranger could get the idea what she was doing in the middle of nowhere so early in the morning.

"Listen, I had an accident, I crashed my car in the lake", she pointed towards the car in the lake and made gesture from her hands of something falling from the hill and hitting something. She made a bam noise and hit her fist into her other arm and pointed to her car. The stranger at first startled by her action followed his gaze towards the place she was pointing to the car and she clearly heard a shocked sigh from him. Now the man was walking towards the car with a surprised and confused look on his face. Lizzie followed the man hoping that after seeing the accident scene he would understand and help her. He was gazing at the car and her and she started again, "Please I'll really appreciate if I could use your cell phone to call for help". She took her own phone out and waved it on his face and made an impression of making a call and holding to her ear. She was feeling so frustrated talking to this man, it was like talking to a chimp.

Now the man was engrossed in looking at the cell phone still not saying a word. Lizzie then totally losing her cool started to babble. "Oh, please God please, tell me you understand me. I'm not speaking Chinese or Russian here. I am speaking plain English. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME", she pleaded to the man. "I am in big trouble here and the way you are acting is not helpful at all. You are freaking me out".

For the first time the man spoke, "Yes Madam, I understand the language you are speaking, the words you are saying. But I beg your pardon, I do not understand what you are saying and implying here". He spoke politely with an aristocrat attitude with proper enunciation and accent.

Hearing him speak in such a manner baffled Lizzie. She looked at the man carefully; he was wearing very old fashioned clothes and shoes. It was like he was coming from an 18th century themed costume party and he was certainly talking like a weirdo still in his character.

She was hesitant but began anyhow, "Oh great, you can understand me; I was thinking here for a minute that I was talking to a brick wall. I just want to use your cell phone or anything you have to call for help. I really need to get out of here". She again waved her cell phone on his face so that he could understand she wanted to use his cell phone.

"Please forgive me Madam, I have no idea what are you talking about and what do you want from me. I certainly want to help you and it is my duty to help a lady in distress. I want to assist you anyway possible", the man replied politely but little aggravated by the way Lizzie was talking to him.

Lizzie pleaded to him now, "I can pay you, I have money. If you don't have a cell phone, can you tell me where I could find the nearest phone or a gas station or any freaking human civilization". She was now having doubts about this man. He was wearing weird clothes, speaking like a crazy, deluded Victorian person and he was certainly staring at her in bizarre and peculiar way. She was now regretting her decision to call him.

"I do not help people for money lady", the man replied as if offended by her suggestion.

"Ok, so don't take the money, atleast let me use your phone then", Lizzie replied angrily.

"I do not have the thing which you are asking to use. I have never seen these things in my life. If I may ask, what is that and that metal cage", the stranger asked curiously pointing at the phone and then at the car.

Lizzie had enough of him then and she started yelling at him, "Alright, I had enough now. You don't have a cell phone and you have never seen one in your whole life as well. This is just bloody brilliant, simply marvellous. Of all the people I could come across in the middle of the forest at time of crisis, I had to find a crazy, lunatic who thinks the best time to make a joke is when someone is in damn big trouble".

"Excuse me, what did you say I am? Do you always talk like that to people.", the man said little taken aback by Lizzie's outburst.

"Hey, what am I suppose to say. You are dressed up like you came from a 18th century costume party and you say you don't know what a cell phone or a car is. It means either you are crazy or you have a really bad sense of humour. Because I'm in big trouble here and its not a time to make jokes."

"I can most certainly assure you madam that I am not making humorous comments here."

"Ok, then at least tell me where I can find a pay phone or a nearest gas station".

"What? I have no idea about where to find a station or any place which you are asking", the man said a little baffled.

"OK, where is the nearest human population then", Lizzie asked being annoyed as she did not want to waste any more time with this man.

The man answered little hesitantly, "This is a private property you are trespassing, all these are my land. The nearest town is five miles to the north but my house is couple of miles to east in that direction. I can assure you that you can get all the help there, at my house".

Lizzie did not like the idea of going anywhere with the man. The man was clearly crazy or deluded and most of all the hesitation in his voice made her felt as he had some secret agenda which was altogether different from helping her. So she said in a stern voice without any hesitation, "Ok Mister I had enough of your bullshit. Now that I think again, I don't need your help at all. You should go now. I'll not go anywhere with you".

The stranger seemed a little taken aback by her sudden hostility. Lizzie sensed that the man was not used to hear no from people and would not take rejection lightly. She started to move away from him towards her car and sensed that he followed her with angry expression on his face. Now, she felt a little fear from this unexpected stranger and was scared that he might try to harm her.

Lizzie entered into her car calmly; she did not want to alarm the man. She started looking for her pepper spray and stun gun which she always carried with her. She found it inside her shoulder bag, she put it in her pocket. She came out of the car and faced the man trying not to show any fear on her face. She thought if she could get rid of him by giving him her wallet and all her expensive things and then she could run from the place to look for cops.

She bravely told him, "Listen, let's not act like crazy here. You can have my wallet, watch, jewellery or anything you want. Hell, you can even take my car if you can take it out from the ditch. I'll not call for police and you can leave me alone. There is no need for anyone to get hurt".

She thought that she gave a good option to the man but he looked humiliated and said with a surprise and disappointment, "I am not a petty thief, Madam. How dare you think of me as such? I am here only to help you because you oddly look in trouble.".

Listening to this, Lizzie's all the worst nightmares ran through her mind. She knew enough of the 'crazy psychopath murderers killing alone women on strange places' stories to be assured by his reply. Now she took out her pepper spray and stun gun out of her pocket and pointed it towards him. She was planning hard and thinking of all the survival strategies she learned from her defence classes. She decided that she will give the man a fair warning and if it comes to the worst, she can knock him down hard and run for her life.

Lizzie said with enough determination in her voice still totally vigilant for any sudden movement from the man, "I gave you an option here; you can take anything and leave me peacefully. This is your first and last warning; I swear if you even think of hurting me, you will be very sorry because I WILL kill you".

Now the man looked a little scared by sudden change in her tone, "I mean you no harm lady. I was only trying to help you". He tried but failed miserably to stay calm and asked, "Is that some form of a weapon", pointing to her stun gun.

Lizzie snickered, "Oh yeah it is and you will be very sorry if I use it on you. I can certainly hurt you. Don't be fooled by seeing this small frame; I know kung fu, karate and taekwondo. And I can break your neck in a second. Also people will be looking for me, so if you think you can rape me or kill me and dump my body in the woods, you are so wrong. If you survive from me, people most definitely will find you and throw you into the prison".

The man looked horrified with her statement and said with revolted expression, "What, murder you, rape you? What are you talking about? Do I look like a criminal to you? I am an honourable man and never in my dream I would commit such a horrific act".

"Yeah, I can see how honourable you are by the way you are looking at me, not leaving me even after I explicitly asked you to leave. You look like a psychopath serial killer, an axe murder to me. If you have any sense of self-preservation you would just leave before I hurt you".

"What are you? I am trying to help you here and you think I am some crazy axe murderer who likes to hurt strange woman. Do you always think worse of people", the man questioned with shock in his eyes.

Lizzie for the first time clearly looked into his deep green eyes and sensed that it was not an eye of a psychopath killer; a psycho crazy lunatic maybe, but not a killer. She relaxed herself a little but still did not let go of her defensive posture.

She calmly said, "I told you I don't need your help. I can manage by myself". But with these words she even let go of her defensive posture and took her arms down, away from pointing to his chest but still holding the stun gun tightly in her hand.

The man also relaxed seeing Lizzie and calmly said, "Of course you can mange by yourself, as you are managing so well now. I am only saying you can get all the help at my house. It is nearer and you can come with me and find out I am not a criminal. I only offering you the help, not forcing you to take it or do anything else".

"And what leave all my stuff here in the car", she said sarcastically.

"What else can you do? Carry everything with you?", the man pointed.

"You have got a point. But to make it clear I don't trust you and if you play any tricks on me you will be sorry that you have ever been born", Lizzie threatened but finally agreed with him. She realized things could not get any worse or weird between them. So she took a risk and consented to go with the man and decided to be cautious and vigilant.

"I promise not to hurt you or do anything to you. And I am true to my word", he assured her. Lizzie laughed thinking all the possible things he could do and was lying about, but seeing the serious expression on the man's face straightened herself and simply said, "Alright then, let's go. Lead the way".

* * *

Please readers tell me how you feel about the story.

Review, Review and Review. Cakes for whoever reviews.

And keep reading :)

Note: My laptop crashed and I lost my saved draft so it might take few days for next update. Sorry about that but try to update soon.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi guys, first of all I want to thank everyone who took their time to review the story, cakes for you. I really appreciate it. Your reviews rock my world. Please keep reviewing, your reviews give me reason to update faster and make the story better. Any advice is welcome._

_I want to personally thank Gentileschi, ishbit92, somebunnyelse, Sarahbarr17, Likelyhood, Leslie, Meg, Princess Eclipse, The Queen of Miscief, Jomorox, fireboltcrazed, everymonday, MAB and everyone who read the story._

_I want to thank Sarahbarr17 for pointing my mistake in era and Meg for giving me amazing advice. Those were really helpful. I also want to ask Meg if you would like to be my beta reader or if anyone is interested in becoming my beta reader, please send me a message. I really need someone else's perspective on my story to make it better._

_Also, I will stop babbling now and just one request: Please Review._

_No need to mention I do not own P&P._

* * *

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

** Chapter 4**

The stranger walked ahead and Lizzie followed him couple of steps behind, he was walking slowly and repeatedly looked back at her. Every time she caught him looking at her, he hurriedly looked away from her and cleared his throat as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words.

When they reached his horse, he made a gesture with his hand and uncomfortably said "If you do not mind Madam riding with me on the horse, I can take you to my house in haste."

Lizzie agreed, "OK, no problem. Are you sure two of us can ride together on the same horse" ,she asked hesitantly.

"Certainly Madam, I am an avid rider. You do not have to worry yourself with my competency in riding", he said arrogantly.

Lizzie snickered "If you say so".

"Please prevail some discomfort Madam as this saddle is not for a lady to ride on, but I assure you I will hold you safely in my arms so that you do not fall and injure yourself" he added with a slight discomfort not looking at her but towards the horse.

Lizzie looked at him in puzzle as she did not find any problem with the saddle. She had rode on horses before; she was no expert on the horse riding but she said with resolve, "Don't worry about that. You sit in the front, I will sit at the back and hold you firmly."

The man seemed little horrified with her comment and showing his concern said "But it is not safe for you Madam to ride side saddle without proper support. You might lose your balance and injure yourself."

"Are you freaking kidding me? Why would I ride side saddle? I don't have a death wish; I'll ride as normal people do."

"But it is not proper for a lady to ride in such a manner", he scoffed.

"What the hell are you talking about? What woman rides like that nowadays? I'll ride as I have always rode horses before", she said in a mock tone. "Anyways, I just don't trust you with my back. What if you decided to throw me off the horse or break my neck or something", she added jokingly but regretted as soon as the words came out of her mouth thinking, "_What is wrong with you? Why are you making jokes and putting ideas inside this lunatic's head_".

"How can you assume such preposterous behaviour from me Madam? I have already assured you I am an honourable man and you such indignantly offend a man's good intention", the man argued with anger in his eyes and making a fist of his hand as if he was really trying to control his anger.

Lizzie scared by his sudden anger took a step backward and said "Just kidding, you know". She casually said, "Let's just get out of here. No need to make a big deal of a stupid joke."

The man said indignantly, "You should think of what you say out loud Madam. You are certainly a strange woman and this is not how a lady should behave" and raised himself into the horse and waited for Lizzie to sit behind him.

Lizzie angrily sat behind him offended by his comment, held him tightly for support and cursed the circumstances which made her depend on such an arrogant crazy jerk. As her hand touched his waist, she felt his body become stiff and tense but he said nothing and jerked the horse forward without saying one word. He rode slowly and cautiously.

After few minutes Lizzie got impatient and asked "How far is your house? When will we reach there?"

"Soon", the man replied.

After few minutes, Lizzie could see the back of a large mansion. It looked like a small castle, it had three storeys and she could see many large Georgian style windows and chimneys on the roof. She could not believe the man was taking her there or it was his home. He slowly took the horse to a large shed which looked like a stable and there were many horses there but no people. As soon as he stopped, Lizzie jumped down from the horse, the man stared at her as if there was another insult in his tongue but he gracefully got out the horse and tied it to a pole.

"This way Madam", he directed her to the back entrance. Lizzie apprehensively followed him.

"Is this your house", she asked uneasily.

"Yes, Madam. This is my house", the man replied.

"Get out!" Lizzie said with awe in her eyes. She could not believe he was telling the truth.

"Pardon me", the man questioned.

"Are you freakin' kidding me? This can't be your house. Do you live in some freakin' museum" she said staring at the mansion still gazing at its vast size and architecture.

"Are you implying that I am lying about my own home, that I am claiming other people's property as my own", the man said unpleasantly still walking towards the back entrance.

"Yeah, you got that right", Lizzie said with a smirk on her face following him.

"I certainly assure you that I am the master of Pemberly. It is I who it belongs to", the man said with a pride and admiration. They walked inside the mansion and Lizzie couldn't believe her eyes by seeing the sheer details in the decoration of the place. There were beautiful French paintings on the huge walls, flowers on the vase all around, oak tables and furniture, long velvet curtains on the windows.

As she walked into the huge hall, the only words that came to her mouth were, "OH MY GOD!"

"What is this place? Is this some freakin' Palace or a movie set?" she asked without taking her eyes from a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She thought it must be twenty feet wide.

"This way Madam", the man said directing her towards a room as if he didn't hear her. The room was a large with many chairs and sofa covered with exotic silk, a giant piano at one side, large windows with layer of curtains, walls covered with expensive scarlet fabric, huge fireplace on one side. Lizzie was amazed with the luxurious and lavish surrounding. The only word which described this room was 'magnificent'.

She took her eyes away from the beautiful painting on the ceiling and asked with wonder "Who are you and what is this place?"

"My name is Fitzwilliam Darcy and this is my home, known to people as Pemberly", the man stated.

"That's a mouthful; you must have been teased a lot in school with a name like that", Lizzie said laughingly.

"It is a family name and people regard and honour my name. They do not make fun of it" Darcy said bitterly. "And may I ask who are you, Madam", he asked with resentment.

"I am Elizabeth Bennet, people call me Lizzie", she said looking curiously at the man. "Seriously, this is your home", she asked still not believing him.

"Yes it is. I do not humour myself by deceiving others", Darcy said staring her with anger. Lizzie uncomfortably shifted her weight by seeing his angry eyes and looked around the room again.

"Kindly take a seat, while I summon a servant to assist you with your injuries", he said.

"That won't be necessary, I just need to use your phone to call a toll truck to get my car out of the ditch. Then I will be on my way", Lizzie said hurriedly because she wanted to get away from this man as soon as possible.

"I do not have a phone as you are calling it. Is it the same object which you have showed me earlier, is it called a phone", Darcy asked curiously.

"What? You don't have a phone. Didn't you say earlier that I could call for help at your home? What kind of creep are you? You live in a palace but cannot afford to have a phone", Lizzie said angrily now getting tired of his antics.

"You must restrain yourself Madam. I do not take insults in my own house lightly", Darcy cautioned her and said angrily "I have told you earlier I do not know what a phone is and when I implied earlier that you can get help at my home, I was telling the truth. You will be provided with assistance here."

Lizzie said sarcastically, "Of course how can you tell a lie and know what a phone is? You are the prince of this castle who has been living under a rock for past hundred years or so". Her temper was getting the better or her; she so desperately wanted to punch this man for wasting her time. She yelled at him "What the hell is wrong with you. Who in the twenty first century hasn't heard of a phone? Have you just come from Narnia or what?"

Darcy looked at her with puzzled expression, "Did you say twenty first century?"

"What, now your ear is not working too?"

"Of course, I can hear you properly", Darcy said annoyingly. He was feeling so frustrated with this woman, who not only talks improperly but takes delight in insulting him every time. "I believe you are intoxicated or lost all your senses if you think you are in some fantasy world of twenty first century", he said awkwardly.

"You think _I AM_ in fantasy world. What's up with you 'Mr. I have never seen a phone'. What time do you live in", Lizzie hissed with rage.

"I live in the contemporary time Madam, it is 1809", Darcy stated without hesitation.

"It is WHAT? What did you just say", Lizzie said with surprise.

"I said it is 1809, Madam. Now, are you having some problem in hearing me", Darcy smirked.

"Oh, I heard you very well. What kind of shitty joke is it", Lizzie asked irritatingly.

"This is no joke, Madam. I am not amusing you."

"Ok. If it is not a joke, then tell me one thing, what is today's date according to you?"

"Today is Thursday 9th of March of the year 1809."

"Are you freakin' shitting me? Is this some kind of stupid prank you play on people and get your kicks from", Lizzie said horrified.

"Madam, I will not tolerate your insults", Darcy raised his voice.

"Ok, now I've got it. I am being punk'd or what. Is it some kind of stupid reality show where you make fool of people on national television", Lizzie told him. This explained things a lot like why that man was acting so weirdly.

"What are you talking about", Darcy asked quizzically.

"Where are the cameras? Where is it hidden? ", she said and started looking around the corners of the ceiling and walls. "Is it hidden in the flower vase", she said while looking through the flowers.

"What are you doing Madam", Darcy tried to stop her from breaking a vase. He was now thinking the woman must have escaped from an asylum.

"Tell me where the damn cameras are", Lizzie shouted losing her cool. "I want to talk to your producers now", she demanded.

"What producer", Darcy asked looking around as if he was missing something.

"Ok, I had enough now. I want all of you people in the backroom to come out now", Lizzie started to wander and talk to walls and corners. "I promise you, I will sue your ass off. If you think you can make a fool out of me on national TV then I assure you, I will definitely be a pretty rich fool on national TV."

Darcy was now convinced that the woman was crazy. "Calm down Madam. Please sit down. I'll call for some water", he tried to relax her.

"Stop that! Stop that now. If you don't stop this craziness now, you'll be sorry", Lizzie threatened Darcy.

"Madam, calm down. You need some help", Darcy tried to calm her but failed. He rang a bell and called for a servant.

Lizzie was now scared that she was not part of a prank show, but this crazy man had actually deluded himself into thinking that he was living in nineteenth century. The only thing that came to her mind was to run away from him and never look back.

"Ok, I have to go now", Lizzie said and hurried towards the door, opened it and ran for the back door.

"Wait Madam, where are you going? You are not in the right frame of mind", Darcy followed her and tried to stop her.

Lizzie saw couple of woman in the hallway wearing old fashioned dress and looking at her in shock. She came into the back yard thinking in which direction she should run. She was not sure if she wanted to go back to the woods to her car or to anywhere else and find someone and call for police. She hurried towards the main gate; she needed to get away from that place. She saw couple of men working in the grounds and near the stable, she thought to go to them and tell them about the lunatic who tried to kidnap her (in some sense) but she saw Darcy following her and ran without thinking anything towards the man near the stable, he looked big and strong, who might knock Darcy out if required.

Darcy for one moment saw Lizzie talking to walls like a crazy person and the next moment he saw her running towards the back yard towards the stable. He was not sure what to do, so he followed her and ran after her asking her to stop. But she was not listening and continued running towards the stable. He was not sure why he was running after her, she was certainly not a woman who had a clear sense and she certainly spoke in a foul manner, insulting him, condemning him. She was dressed in strange attire which was not at all proper for a lady, he had doubts if she was a proper lady at all, but still he offered her help as a gentleman should do. But the woman behaved as she did not need any help and misjudged his every action. His mind was telling him to stop and let her go, it would be better for him, easier for him if she went away and he never had to see her again; but Darcy was not listening to his mind for once. There was something strange about this woman; she had a fire and passion in her eyes which he had never seen before. She certainly possessed objects which he had never seen before his life and was sure no one else had seen it either. The mere curiosity to know what she was, what was she thinking and why she was behaving in such a manner made him run faster and catch up to her.

Darcy had never done this in his life and would never do to a woman but he grabbed Lizzie's arm and stopped her from running.

"Let me go", he heard her shout but as he started to speak and wanted to say "Please Madam, stop. It is not safe for you to run like that". The words never had the chance to get out of his lips, as a fist came towards him from nowhere and hit his nose really hard. He felt a pang, lost all sensation in his brain for a second and then he felt a tremendous pain and pressure in his head. His nose started to bleed and he just kept his hold on Lizzie's shoulder more tightly and didn't let her go even though she punched him so hard.

* * *

_Please people review. Cannot tell you enough that your reviews make me want to update faster._

_Please keep reading and enjoy the story. Any constructive criticism is welcome._

_I will try to update soon, but still having laptop problem._


	5. Chapter 5

**The Quest of Time: Now or never**

_I want to thank everyone for their reviews, support and putting the story in their story alert and favourite list._

_Also want to personally thank Miriam, drmcather, springat, Gentileschi, Sarahbarr17, ishbit92, Marivan, mony, Dawn Run, PapillondeGalloise for their support._

_My sister complained that the chapters are too long but I cannot help it. I tried to make it short but couldn't._

_Caution: Lots of swearing in this chapter._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 5**

Lizzie was little scared when Darcy followed her out of the house and grabbed her arm to stop her. She panicked and the adrenaline rush made her remember all the self-defence training she had years ago and she placed a very hard and strong punch right on his face. She could feel the stinging pain in her fist but it subsided the moment she saw his nose bleed. She tried to free herself but his hold on her got even stronger. In the midst of all that, other people from nearby gathered around and started to ask 'what was wrong', there was panic and confusion all around.

"Miss Bennet, stop. I am not trying to hurt you here. I am only trying to prove to you that I am telling the truth", Darcy said in assertive tone in midst of all the confusion and shouts of his servants and a panicked woman desperately trying to free herself from his hold. He was thinking what would take to make this woman understand the truth.

"Let me go, I don't want anything from you. Just let me go, I want to go back to my car", Lizzie shouted, she was panicking and cursed the moment she decided to trust this man. She actually never trusted the man but still against her better judgement came with him.

Few people who were around the stable watched the unfortunate incident were hovering near Lizzie and Darcy trying to help and understand what was happening. Some more people from inside the house also joined the scene and were staring from Darcy to Lizzie. Lizzie could here loud sighs and gasp when they saw Darcy bleeding through his nose. She just wanted to disappear from the scene and be alone.

"I will take you there. You do not know the way back and might get lost. Allow me to take you back to the place and I will prove to you that I am telling the truth", Darcy said ignoring all the people, still holding her arm tightly, forgetting all the chivalry and proper manners.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you. I just want to leave this place right _now_", Lizzie hissed desperately trying to free herself from his iron grip.

Darcy looked intensely into her eyes, trying to make her see that he meant no harm and was honest, said, "I will show you the way and prove my point". He so desperately wanted Lizzie to calm down and trust him. He could not understand why he was doing this, why it was so important for him to prove himself correct to that woman but he was trying his best to get an opportunity to make Lizzie understand his actions and reality.

Lizzie could feel the sheer pressure of his gaze; he was neither taking his eyes off her, nor takings his hand off her. She wanted to shout but saw all the people were staring at her and accusing her with their eyes for Darcy's injury. They were offering him help with his bleeding nose; no one was objecting the way Darcy was forcefully holding her hand. She realized that even if she shouts, no one there will help her; all these people were working for him, they were loyal to him. Panicking and fighting him will only make things worse, so she calmed herself down and stopped fighting to release his grip on her.

"Master Darcy, you are bleeding. Please come inside and let me get you a clean cloth and mend your injury", Lizzie heard an old woman squeal at Darcy, but he didn't notice her, he was still staring at Lizzie waiting for her answer.

At that very moment Lizzie felt so alone, lonely and scared like a small child. She wanted her father to be there, hold her in his arms and tell her she would be safe and everything will be alright like he used to do when she was little and hurt herself playing in the park. However, she realized she was all alone, _she_ put herself in that situation and _she_ had to get herself out of it. She had to do it all by herself, there was no one to help her, not her father, nor Chris; she had to do it by thinking clearly and rationally, there was no room for panic and despair.

"Alright, you can take me back to my car", Lizzie finally gave up and agreed with Darcy. She was shocked by her own reply, why was she agreeing to go with this crazy and controlling man, she was clearly scared of him, but still she consented to go alone with him. His powerful gaze made her say yes, it was like he performed some Jedi mind tricks on her. As soon as she agreed with him, he nodded curtly, released her arm and crossed his own hands behind his back and looked down at his own feet as if he was ashamed of his actions.

Darcy felt relieved and happy when Lizzie agreed with him. He was more ashamed that the servants saw him act that way, the way he treated a woman but he was relieved. He could not make sense of his own actions and reactions to this woman. He dismissed all his feelings regarding Miss Bennet as mere curiosity, nothing else. He accepted a clean cloth provided by Mrs. Reynolds, wiped blood off his face and asked Andrew, his valet to arrange for a small carriage. He was not looking at Lizzie fearing she was angry at him, he was trying to avoid the gaze of all the people present their who were certainly scrutinizing both of them, wondering what had happened to make their master act so irrationally, so all he could do was to look at his own feet trying to avoid everyone.

In few minutes Andrew brought the carriage, it was small and open, pulled by one horse and was suitable for two people to ride in it. Darcy took hold of the leash dismissing him saying he will drive it himself. He hesitantly asked Miss Bennet to join him and when she awkwardly sat next to him, he pulled the strap and the carriage moved forward slowly. He was silent unable to decide how to start the conversation, what to say so that Lizzie would not act rashly and start shouting at him. He decided he cannot drive the carriage the same way as he rode the horse, so he took the carriage through the main road and later took a small path to the woods. He was looking at her through his peripheral vision; she seemed confused and was looking around the grounds of Pemberly, small houses and establishment nearby and the people on the road. He realized it was going to be a long and uncomfortable ride in awkward silence. He sighed and moved the carriage forward a little faster.

Lizzie sat next to Darcy uncomfortably, she could not believe she was still stuck with Darcy and was on her way back to her car with him. She wanted to ask which way they were taking but saw Darcy pull the horse forward through the main gate to a large road. She fell silent just looking the front garden of the Pemberly which was as large as a football field and very beautiful; full of trees, flowers, fountains and statues. Ahead on the way she saw old fashioned houses, people (men, women and children) wearing old fashioned clothes and hats, riding horses, carriages and mostly on foot. Lizzie was desperately searching for things which would make sense to her; she was looking for nice tarmac road, street lamps, cars, bicycles, shops and cafes, electric cables and phone lines, street signs and traffic lights, anything which would assure her that she was still in 21st century England, but she could not find anything like that, she felt like she was in an old Amish country. Suddenly she saw Darcy directing the carriage to a small path into the woods, he was concentrating on the path and trying not to look at her. The whole ride passed in silence.

They reached to the grounds near the lake. Darcy stopped the carriage, stepped down and put his hand out for Lizzie to step down, but she already jumped down from the other side and walked towards her crashed car.

"Here, Miss Bennet. I brought you to the place you wanted. What do you want to do now", Darcy asked following Lizzie to her car, looking at her curiously as if measuring her intention.

"Thank you. I can handle from here. You can go now", Lizzie said trying to keep rudeness away from her voice.

"But you are back to the same place where you started. You certainly do not intend to stay here in the woods", he asked unable to stop himself and most certainly incapable to leave her alone.

"I'll trace back my steps back to the highway and maybe hitch a ride from there", she said irritatingly.

"But there is only hill there, there is no other road", Darcy objected.

"There is a highway there, I know it. My car slid down from there and crashed here in the lake. What do you think, I fell from the sky", she said rolling her eyes and started to move uphill.

Lizzie looked around to find the tyre tracks; it was prominently visible in the mud because of last night's rain and storm. She started to walk parallel to the tyre marks, she must have taken ten steps and then saw Darcy follow behind her.

She stopped on her way, looked at him angrily and said in stern voice, "And where do you think you are going?"

Darcy looked quizzically at her and answered coldly, "Escorting you through the woods, Madam. It is not safe to wander in the woods all by yourself."

"Thanks for your concern. But I don't want you to come. You have done enough already", she said sarcastically thinking what a waste of time it all was.

"I cannot allow you to wander alone in here. You might hurt yourself. And I know these woods really well, I come here for hunting. . And do I need to remind you that you are on my land", he added annoyingly. Darcy could not understand why Lizzie had a problem with accepting his help. It was foolish to roam alone in woods, it was his duty to make sure she was safe and that what Darcy was telling himself; the reasons for coming after her, his curiosity and sense of duty.

"You never listen when someone says no to you. Do you", Lizzie said dryly and increased her pace leaving Darcy behind.

Darcy stared at Lizzie in disbelief; he could not understand why someone could be so rude to him. He had never met anyone in his life who spoke to him like that. He wanted to say something equally rude to her but saw she was walking very fast following the marks made by wheels of the strange metal object crashed in the lake. He wanted to go back and never talk to her again but followed her nonetheless, he himself wanted to see where that thing came from.

Both Lizzie and Darcy walked up the hill for more than twenty minutes in silence. The trees and vegetation grew lighter the higher they ascended. Now, Lizzie could clearly see the top of the hill, the sun was getting higher on the sky; she took out her cell phone and checked, there was still no signal, she irritatingly checked her watch and it was half past nine. She increased her speed anxious to find the road, she almost broke into run. Darcy ran after her seeing her so excited. They both reached the top of the hill. There was flat ground on the top; it was more like a plateau than a steep peak.

Lizzie uneasily looked around eager to find the highway. She could clearly see the tyre marks disappear in the middle of the ground, like the car was dropped from the sky to that spot and it slid down the slope from there. There was a clear burn mark on the ground; she could see the depression on the earth caused by sudden impact by her car, burnt grass around and the clear beginning of the tyre marks.

"Where the hell is that damn highway", Lizzie shouted in despair stomping her feet in anger. She could not understand where the whole freaking hundreds of mile long highway could disappear.

"I have told you Miss Bennet earlier, there is no highway here", Darcy said evenly.

"Yes there is. I drove on it last night. Highway A-45. It cannot disappear in thin air", Lizzie said in a panicked voice.

"There is no highway A-45. There is the town of Lambton over there and the grounds of Pemberly there", he said pointing with his fingers in both the directions.

Lizzie looked all around, from the top of the hill she could see the town Darcy was pointing at and the Pemberly mansion. She just could not believe her eyes.

"What the hell is happening to me? What kind of freak place is it", she told more to herself than to Darcy. Nothing was making sense to her anymore, what freaking place she got herself lost and where was the highway.

"I have told you earlier Madam. This place is Derbyshire and it is 1809. Now you believe me", Darcy said cautiously pointing to his surrounding seeing Lizzie panicking and shouting again.

"What the hell .... How ... Why... Bloody Hell ...OH MY GOD", nothing coherent was coming out of Lizzie's mouth. She could not understand anything; the facts were not making any sense. Her brain had stopped working, and a strange man was telling her she was two hundred years in the past. His voice was echoing in her head but she did not understand anything. Shock had drawn her mind into complete blank.

Darcy was now worried for Lizzie, he could see her pacing left and right on the ground, cursing, swearing, talking to herself like a crazy person, pulling her hairs out and with shock and fear in her eyes. He wanted to calm her down but was unsure how to proceed.

Lizzie was in full blown panic mode. Only things she could think and was subconsciously saying out loud without even realizing was, "It is not possible... It is just not possible. What the fuck!! How can this happen. This is not real. Oh my God....Oh my freaking God. This is a dream, just a dream, yes a very bad dream".

"Are you alright Miss Bennet? You should sit down. You do not look well", Darcy said ignoring her curses and the way she was taking Lord's name in vain.

Lizzie looked at Darcy as if for the first time she realized he was there, standing there watching her entire breakdown. Without thinking anything she slapped herself very hard on her face. Her cheek turned red and Darcy was shocked witnessing that, he could not think of anything to say at that moment.

"Wake up now! It's time to wakeup. This is a very bad nightmare. Please God please, let me wake up", Lizzie pleaded to herself thinking she was having a nightmare.

"Miss Bennet, What are you doing", Darcy asked in shock watching Lizzie's actions and panic.

"Oh my God, I am dead and this is hell!!"

"What?"

"Or maybe, I had a very bad accident and I am in coma and this is all going inside my head."

"Miss Bennet, you are not making any sense. Please calm down."

"Calm down. How the hell can I calm down? Can't you see I am dead or in coma? My life is ruined, it is all over", Lizzie was shouting on top of her lungs, she wanted to cry so badly at that moment.

"Miss Bennet, you are not dead, crazy maybe, but not dead. This is all real, it is not a trick of your mind", Darcy was shouting too.

"This is not real. Time travel is just not real. It is impossible", Lizzie was trying to explain herself and she was constantly saying to herself this same thing over and over. But in a corner of her mind she realized Darcy was telling the truth. The universe had played a cruel joke on her and she was really trapped in her worst nightmare. She was in the 19th century and the man in front of her was right after all.

As soon as the truth set into Lizzie's mind, she lost hold of herself and sank to the ground, "I need to lie down", was all she could say. She sat on the ground with her head in her hands, all shocked.

Darcy saw Lizzie in pure state of terror; she was not making any sense. She was thinking she was dead or having a nightmare. She was obviously delusional if she was thinking she travelled back in time and was from 21st century. But he was feeling sorry for her; she was lying on the ground as if she had lost all hope in life. She was holding her face in her hands as if she had lost her will to live. He wanted to assure her somehow that all was not lost but did not know how.

After fifteen minutes of panicking, babbling and complete breakdown Lizzie got her consciousness back. She took deep breaths and for the first time saw the reality with clear perspective. She _was_ in 19th century and she had no idea how she got there, what made it possible. She stood up from the ground really angry and started to pace.

"Fuck, shit, damn, crap, bloody hell, son of a bitch...." she cursed and cursed loudly, stomping her feet very hard. She wanted to get all her rage and anger out from her mind and body so that she could think rationally for a minute. Darcy saw her like that, offended and scared he took a step back from her. He wanted to stop her rudeness and improper conduct but thought better of it, thinking of his bloody nose, he involuntarily lifted his hand, checked his nose and remembered the punch she gave him.

* * *

_Just wanted to say, read and review. Send me any constructive criticism. I want to know what you think about the story._

_Please keep reading and enjoy the story._


	6. Chapter 6

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

_Sorry guys, it took so much time to update, I was having a really bad week. I wrote this chapter in a foul mood and I don't like how it turned up. Was working on it whole week but still I am unhappy with it. Now I don't want to work on it anymore so I am posting it now, maybe I'll change it later._

_Want to thank everyone who read, reviewed the story and put it on favourite list. You guys rock my socks. Also want to say thanks to Irene Blake, PapillondeGalloise, geril, ishbit92, Marivan, Miriam, Gentileschi, mimiclemson._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 6**

Lizzie's anger was still not diminished, she looked up in the sky as if talking to someone and started to shout again, "Why, oh why. Why did you do this to me? What have I done to deserve this? Why are you torturing me like this? I had never killed anyone in my life, thought about it but never did it. Never physically hurt any innocent people, only beaten up who deserved it and I had never hurt anyone's feelings, only the horrible and wicked people and they were asking for it. I had never hurt any good people in my life intentionally".

As Lizzie was saying these things, more like confessing, she realized she had done many wrong and crazy things in her life. No matter how she tried to justify her actions by saying those people deserved it, she knew she had made mistakes, said and done terrible things and this was her punishment, her sentence. She was a strong believer of Karma and knew it was coming back to bite her ass. But she didn't believe that she deserved such retribution for her sins.

"Fuck you, fuck you bad. Universe, you are a bitch", she finally yelled and gave up.

"Miss Bennet, you should apprehend yourself from behaving in such a rowdy manner", was all Darcy could say in shock watching Lizzie act out.

"You, you, shut the fuck up. I am really pissed off right now, so much that I can kill anyone with my bare hands. And if you don't shut the hell up, I swear it will be you", Lizzie was now directing all her anger and frustration at Darcy.

"I will not tolerate your threat and crazy outburst anymore. Who do you think you are", Darcy yelled looking angrily at her, trying to intimidate her.

"Can't you see, I have been dumped into this shithole of 19th century from my time and I am supposed to celebrate that? My whole goddamn life has been taken away from me and I am not even allowed to curse and get angry", Lizzie said sarcastically.

"Madam, you certainly do not think you are from 21st century. I cannot believe that", Darcy said arrogantly.

"Does it look like I give a damn of what you believe or don't believe right now", Lizzie said angrily.

"But, how, how is that even possible", was all he said and was thinking hard.

"How the hell do I know", she answered but his question made her think the same thing. How is that possible, how she travelled back in time, and if she figured that out, she might find her way back to her own time too.

Subconsciously she started to pace again and began brainstorming. All the books she had read mostly physics and science-fiction, movies she had watched, every bit of information was going inside her brain as rapid recollection. She again started to think out loud everything before the freak accident, "I was driving my car; this cannot happen because of that, it is not a time machine. I was talking on my cell, that's can't cause it either. Anyways, I use them daily and it never happened before, so it is something else."

Darcy was intently listening to her babble, he could not concentrate because she was pacing so he closed his eyes and focused on her voice. She was trying to make herself understand what had happened and he listened to her intently so that he could understand too. Because he believed her too, that she was from 21st century. Only his arrogance and rationality was saying that she was crazy but from the moment he saw her with strange objects he knew she was not from around the place and might not be around from the same time as well.

"It was raining and there was a huge storm, maybe natural imbalance and chaos caused it. Now that I remember, there was a lightning and I think it hit the car. Yes, maybe the lighting caused it. But lightning is supposed to electrocute you, burn you, and not throw you back in time. How can lightning do that? Think, Lizzie think. All these years of obsessing over sci-fi, bring it to use", Lizzie said knocking her head with her knuckles.

She was frantically trying to come up with a theory, an explanation for all what had happened. She continued her thought process, "Maybe lightning created a massive energy field and it does carry thousands of volts of energy. Yeah, maybe the energy imbalance created a wormhole in space-time continuum. It must have created a portal to different dimension in time and since I was in that energy field, I travelled through it. Oh, God, it doesn't make any sense. But that's the best I can come up with right now. I need to study about it more..."

Darcy could not believe all the mumbo jumbo Lizzie was talking about but few things made sense to him. He now believed too that she was from future, she had travelled back in time, she was from a totally different world from him with strange manners and stranger objects. He was shocked with the revelation a shrill sound came out of his mouth saying "Dear Lord, you _are_ from future!"

Lizzie's lost her concentration hearing Darcy and said sarcastically "Glad you kept up, Einstein".

"Who is Einstein", Darcy asked, he was now in awe of that woman.

"Forget about that. The important thing now is, if I could find more about this portal or wormhole then I can find another one and hopefully can go back to my time", Lizzie said with a glimmer of hope. After a very long day this thought made her smile. She was an optimist and believed with hard work and determination anything was possible and this thought will make her do the impossible.

Darcy was looking at Lizzie in wonder and amazement; it was like when a child gets his favourite toy for Christmas. He could not believe he was standing in front of a creature from different time and world; she possessed information about the new world, new society, new customs and new technology. He wanted to ask her about all those things but was unaware of how to proceed.

"You believe you can find your way back to your own time", he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I think so. I have to. I cannot be stuck here forever. I have my life to get back to or I will die here", Lizzie said still thinking hard, it was easier said than done.

"Ok, think.... I need a plan", her rational and analytical mind came into effect.

"I need food, money, place to live, do some research and equipments to carry out some experiments... ooh..., that will be the tough one. Ok, I can do this. This is possible, it is feasible", Lizzie was talking to herself and trying to assure herself. She did not want to lose this positive attitude, she did not want to get dejected and give up. She was happy that her mind was like that, in the time of crisis, instead of panic attacks, she got optimism attacks.

She started to look at herself and her things. She took out her wallet but the money and credit cards were of no use to her. She started to take off her jewelleries she was wearing. She had a small locket shaped like heart and L written on it, her mother gave it to her on her eighteenth birthday, it was made up of white gold and white silver; a pair of small diamond earrings, her father gave her on her twenty-first birthday and an old and antique sapphire ring on her finger which she got from her grand-mother. Of all of her possession this was the most precious to her, not because of its monetary value but of sentimental value and memories. This was the only thing she had of her granny whom she was very close to and she loved the ring a lot. So she decided she could sell the locket and earrings and if worse come to worst, she had to sell the ring.

Darcy was very intently looking at Lizzie, who was lost in her own thoughts. He heard her say something about portal and wormhole and then about some plan for food, money and house and then he saw her stripping all her jewelleries. He realized what was going in her mind, she was in need of food and place to live and she was going to sell those things for money. He felt as an honest Christian he should help this woman in need with shelter and food. But he was not sure if it was a proper to ask her to live with him. She was a single woman with no family, friends and society, he could not ask her to stay with her all alone, without any acquaintance. People will talk; they will ridicule him, make a mockery of his family name and will misunderstand his intentions. And Fitzwilliam Darcy was the man of honour, pride and class. He could not associate himself with any random woman, who had no manners, no sense of talking, no class, society and social demeanour. He had already tolerated so much of her insults and there is a limit to the things he could ignore, but not anymore. His pride was not allowing him to say it but his heart was telling him to help that woman.

His mental dilemma gave up as soon as he looked through her deep brown eyes. Few moments earlier he had seen pain and hopelessness in them and now he could see the fire and determination, will and strength to do the impossible. He admired Lizzie's courage and finally gave to his heart. He explained to himself that he was only doing it because he is a gentleman and it is his duty.

"Miss Bennet, please accept my invitation to stay at my house, at Pemberly, until you find a solution to your difficult situation", he said curtly.

Lizzie gave Darcy a questioning look, gave a small mocked laugh and said, "Are you freaking kidding me? I don't think so". She knew he was telling the truth all this time, but she still didn't trust the guy. He was too arrogant for her liking.

Darcy was little taken aback by her rejection. He was helping her and again as earlier she refused him flat on his face. "But...", he tried to say angrily.

She cut him in the middle, "I am sorry, what was your name again? I forgot".

Darcy angrily said, "My name is Fitzwilliam Darcy". All he could think was how this woman could forget his name, after everything he had done for her.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that! What should I call you, Fitz, William or .."

"You should call me Mr. Darcy", he said distastefully with a rage on his face. He was now having second thought about his offer. How could he have asked a woman to live at his house as a guest who does not even know how to address someone properly?

"Yeah, I was going to say that. Ok Mr. Darcy, I only have one question for you. Who do you think I am", Lizzie asked looking at him curiously as to measure him.

"You are Miss Elizabeth Bennet", he answered. He could not understand her intention in asking such ridiculous questions.

"And, what else you know about me?"

"You had a terrible accident and you somehow travelled through your time to this time."

"And you believe me, that all of this is true", she questioned.

"Yes, I do", he said impatiently.

"Why?"

"Why?", Darcy did not understand what she was intending.

"Yeah, why do you believe me? Why do you think I am telling the truth and I am not some crazy lunatic who is making this stuff up? I thought people in this time are conservative and superstitious. They do not believe in such things. Hell, if someone said that to me, even I won't believe it. And any things which you people cannot understand, you think it's evil and crazy magic witchy stuff", Lizzie asked and suddenly a horrific thought came to her mind "Oh my God, you guys don't burn witches on fire, do you?"

Darcy was shocked by her question too and said, "No, we don't burn witches on fire. This is not a medieval time and people here are not all conservative and superstitious. We believe in science and natural phenomenon. And, as far as believing you go, I had seen enough of evidence and have enough intelligence to understand that you are telling the truth about your incident of travelling through time".

"Ok good to know about the witch part", Lizzie sighed with relief and said, "But why you want me to live with you, after everything I did to you. I accused you of being a crazy lunatic psychopathic killer; I yelled at you countless time and punched you right on your face. And still you want me as your guest, stay in your house", she said all her doubts. She wanted to figure out why he wanted her to stay with him, what was his hidden intention.

"I know that, I was the one subjected to all of that. You do not need to remind me. I believe you only did those preposterous things because you were upset and confused and lost your mind for a brief period of time", Darcy said trying to downplay his anger and frustration towards her. Even he questioned himself as why was he doing it after everything she did and as she herself honestly pointed it all out.

"FYI, even though I was upset, I didn't lose my mind", Lizzie said sarcastically. She was not satisfied by his answer. So she prodded, "What are your intentions, Mr. Darcy? What's your catch? Why you are inviting me to live with you".

"Miss Bennet, you are in trouble and have nowhere to go. I think it is my duty as a gentleman and as a Christian to help a distressed woman in need. That is why I am asking you to consider my suggestion", Darcy said flatly. He didn't like explaining himself to anyone, especially her about his intentions and actions.

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Your God will not smite you if you leave me here", Lizzie said rolling her eyes and gathering her stuffs to leave and get back to her car.

"I know he won't because I am not a sinner unlike you", Darcy said cruelly with grimace on his face.

"No need to get offended, just pointing a fact here", Lizzie said with a laugh.

"How can I not be offended? My intentions are honest and honourable. I only offered you help because I thought you were helpless and needed my help. And you imply that I have some hidden purpose".

"Oh come on, Mr. Darcy. You do not run a shelter or anything. And I just don't believe that you go around asking helpless and needy people to come and live with you", Lizzie said dryly.

"Alright, forget that I even asked. I only believed it would be easier and convenient for you to stay at Pemberly. But clearly you do not appreciate anyone and ridicule their intentions. I am sorry to waste your precious time. Good day, Miss Bennet", Darcy said angrily, bowed and started to walk away from her. He was so angry at himself for inviting her and making a travesty of himself.

Lizzie when saw Darcy leaving realized that she did need help, anyone's help, so why not it be him. If she wanted to return to her own time, she needed to find the wormhole, the only one which she encountered brought her to those woods and if she wanted to find another portal she had to look in the same woods, which was unfortunately Darcy's private property. She might not trust him but she needed to trespass into his property to find the portal again and it would be easier and convenient for her if she stayed nearby. So she gave up, swallowed her pride and ran after Darcy.

"Mr. Darcy, please wait", Lizzie said trying to make best of what she had.

Darcy stopped hearing her turned around and gave her a sharp look.

Lizzie tried to smile and politely said, "Mr. Darcy, now I think again, I will like to take you on your offer, if it still stands".

Now it was Darcy's turn to question her. "Why Miss Bennet, why do you want to stay with me? As a moment ago, you so clearly rejected my offer", he asked haughtily.

Lizzie rolled her eyes seeing that he was trying to give her hard time. She sighed and explained "Cause, as much as I am capable of taking care of myself, I do need a place to live and someone's help. And as you said earlier it is easier and convenient. After all beggars can't be choosers". She tried to make a joke but seeing his stone face asked, "So, is your offer still stands".

Darcy took few moments before he answered "Yes, it does".

"Great, thanks a lot", she said with a smile and hesitantly added, "I want to pay for it. You know like a rent or something".

Darcy said with revulsion, "I am not doing it for money, Miss Bennet".

"Yeah, I know Mr. Darcy but I am not a charity case either. I want to pay for the time I'll be staying at your house", Lizzie said sternly.

"I cannot accept your money. The mere thought of taking money for helping someone is revolting", Darcy said sordidly.

Lizzie thought for a second, she didn't want to piss him off, so she coolly said, "Ok, I can work for you then".

"What", Darcy asked, he did not understand this woman.

"Yeah, I can work for you. I have got many useful skills".

"Miss Bennet, I do not want you to work for me", Darcy said irritatingly.

"Mr. Darcy, I insist. I cannot live with you like a free loader. I have to do something in return. This is my final offer, take it or leave it", Lizzie gave her ultimatum.

Darcy thought for a moment, he realized Miss Bennet was an honest person and this was her way to honour her integrity. He still could not consider her suggestion so he awkwardly said, "But Miss Bennet, what work can you do for me".

"Hmm", Lizzie mused for a minute thinking hard how she can be useful for him. "I cannot do my regular job for you, because the things I do for living have not been invented yet. But I have other skills, like I am good with technical and mechanical things", she said enthusiastically.

Darcy wondered that she could do those things; she must be very capable and accomplished. "Miss Bennet, I do not own any technical or mechanical things".

"Ok then I can do your taxes. I am good at keeping books and accounts stuffs", she added.

"But I already have people to do those things for me", Darcy said.

"Alright, so you have people to do everything for you. But I can teach you new stuffs like recycling, saving your energy and modernizing your home and office. I can even do manual work for you", she said eagerly.

"That would not be necessary. I already have many servants", Darcy said uncertainly. He was unable to explain to her that he did not want anything from her.

"Oh, come on. Isn't there anything I can do for you, anything at all? Do I need to look for other place to live", Lizzie said flying her hands in the air now getting irritated.

"Well..", Darcy didn't want her to leave so he thought of anything he wanted from her. He was fascinated by the things she had so he hesitantly asked, "I would really like to know about your world Miss Bennet. And if you could show me and tell me about various objects you have, I am very intrigued by those things".

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Boys and their toys". She laughed and said, "Awesome, I can show you and tell you about those stuffs, you can even have some. So we have a deal".

"That would be agreeable. I guess we have a deal", Darcy nodded politely and gestured her to walk back to his home and Lizzie followed him.

* * *

_As always, read and review. I love to hear what you think about the story. And your reviews give me ideas and make me want to update faster._

_Happy reading :)_


	7. Chapter 7

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

_First of all I want to apologise to everyone for this long wait. I was very busy and lost the inspiration to write the next chapter so I started to write other stories which are on fictionpress. But I got back to my tracks now and came up with a long chapter as compensation. I hope you guys are still interested in reading this story because I want to increase its pace now and will try to update soon._

_I want to thank Loool, Miriam, ecentryke, Eloise, Gentileschi, somebunnyelse, Caliif, Sarahbarr17 and PapillondeGalloise. I'm sorry I couldn't reply to you guys but I am back now and hope you will like this chapter. Please read and review, these are the only things that make me go on._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"What are you doing Miss Bennet", Darcy asked Lizzie as he saw her get a chalk from her bag pack and mark a tree on their way down from the hill to the lake.

"Oh, I am marking the path, so that I can find this spot later, when I want to come here again. These tyres marks won't be here forever so I am leaving signs, it's an old camping technique", Lizzie explained marking an arrow on a tree.

"How did you learn these techniques", Darcy asked.

"I go camping and hiking a lot", Lizzie answered.

"Do you go for hunting as well", Darcy asked nonchalantly.

"No, I don't hunt. Do I look like a cold blooded killer who murders innocent animals for amusement to you? Why would you ask such a weird question", Lizzie looked quizzically at Darcy.

Darcy looked at her irritatingly and said, "I have asked you the question because people make camps when they go for hunting in forest and hunting is a sport, not a cold blood murder of animals".

"Yeah, you might justify your cruel action by saying it is a sport but it won't change the truth. Is that the only reason people go camping in this time, to commit murder of wild animals", Lizzie said horrified.

"No, people also camp during war in enemy territory, but I considered hunting because women are not allowed in the battle field but you do include yourself in violent act and inappropriate cursing", Darcy said stiffly, not looking at Lizzie but straight ahead.

Lizzie looked at him angrily and said, "I acted violently before because you practically assaulted me".

Darcy stopped on his track and stared at her angrily and said, "I did not assault you. I was trying to help you _then_ and I am helping you _now_". He arrogantly lifted his head a little high and walked ahead of Lizzie because he did not want Lizzie to see the shame in his eyes; he was embarrassed by his earlier behaviour towards her and did not want to look into her eyes.

Lizzie said sarcastically, "Gee, thanks a lot. Nice way to help people, accuse them of being a violent animal killer. Just because someone protects themselves and goes camping, it doesn't automatically make them a blood craving psychopaths". She couldn't believe Darcy's wired sense of reasoning and was insulted by the fact that Darcy thought of her as a barbaric killer.

Darcy did not answer Lizzie and the rest of the way was passed in silence. In ten minutes they reached the lake where Lizzie's car was stuck. Lizzie didn't want to ask Darcy for anymore help, she was little appalled by his arrogant and conceited behaviour, but she had no other option so she gulped her pride and asked, "Mr. Darcy, I cannot leave my car here in the ditch. Can you help me to get it out and hide it somewhere?"

Darcy was still looking at the red car in front of him and said, "Certainly, Miss Bennet. What is this object?" Darcy wanted to ask Lizzie so many questions but reflecting how their earlier conversations turned into arguments he was very cautious of the things he said.

"This is a car. It's like a twenty-first century carriage without horses", Lizzie replied hoarsely taking her boots and socks off from her feet and folding her jeans up.

Darcy only stared at her wondering what she was doing, he saw her taking off her shoes, pulling up her pants and then getting down in the lake. She looked at him irritatingly and said, "Come on now, what are you looking at, come and help me push it out of the water".

Darcy was still stuck at his place as if his feet were cemented in the ground, he could not believe Lizzie was actually asking him to push the thing out of the lake and she was in the water herself all ready to lift that heavy object, he wondered do all women in her time lack social demeanour or if it was only her. He could hear her shouting, "Are you going to help me or not". He broke his thought and simply nodded and went into the lake without bothering to take his boots off.

Lizzie was losing her temper seeing Darcy staring at her as if she had done some crime, a moment later he was standing next to her in calf deep water looking at her with a weird expression which Lizzie couldn't identify. So she simply instructed, "Push it on three", and without waiting for his response said, "One, two, three" and pushed the car with all her strength. Darcy continued staring at her for a second and then seeing what she was doing he pushed the car too. The car was struck at its place for few seconds, then moved few inches back but soon drop to the same place as before.

Lizzie let out a desperate groan from her throat, stood straight and annoyingly said to Darcy, "Come on, push a little harder. Don't you work out?"

Darcy looked at her with rage in his eyes and said, "I should not.... We should not do such thing. I will ask my servants to get this thing out of the water". He was angry, _how this woman can ask him to lift such heavy object and then complain that he is not pushing harder_.

Lizzie rolled her eyes at him and said, "And how are you going to explain your servants about the existence of this car and me", she could not believe how someone could be so arrogant and lazy, _do anyone do their own work in this time or they have servants for everything_. She could see the anger in Darcy's face, he opened his mouth to say something but then closed it and finally sighed took off his coat and said, "Alright, let's push it harder this time".

Lizzie nodded and they both pushed harder on the count of three, the car moved again and she saw Darcy let out a croaking noise and push harder using all his upper body strength and she did the same. Finally the car moved faster and was out of the water and mud and on solid ground, Lizzie slid on the grass next to the car panting, her head in both hands and saw Darcy standing next to her breathing heavily, wearing his coat.

She stood up, looked at Darcy and said, "Thanks a lot. I've to hide the car somewhere, I can't leave it here in the open for anyone to see. Do you know any place?"

Darcy thought for a moment and said, "There is an old barn behind the stable to store woods for fire, it is empty now. The car will be well hidden there and I will prohibit the servants to go there".

"Great, I'll do that tomorrow early in the morning, can't drive it there now for people to see it. I'll hide it in the woods temporarily, cover it with leaves, it will do for now", Lizzie said readily and Darcy agreed with her. Lizzie grabbed a bag from the trunk full of her clothes, and collected few other things, loaded everything in the carriage they both rode from Pemberly and Darcy helped her with carrying the things, looking at everything she had with amazement.

After Lizzie picked everything she needed, she went back to her car and slid in the driver's seat, she saw Darcy looking at her with astonishment near her window, she thought for a second and said with a smile, "Want to go for a ride? Come on in" and opened the passenger door.

Darcy looked at Lizzie taking many astonishing objects out from the hidden compartment at the back of her car, she had kept many metallic and shiny objects in there. She took some things form the secret compartment and stashed everything in the small bag, she also took a large bag and few other random objects. He wanted to ask her about every single thing he saw but refrained himself. He helped her load the things into the horse carriage mostly because he wanted to touch and feel the objects himself and then he saw her get inside the car. He could not believe when she asked him to get inside for the ride, he was shocked and perplexed but it was not needed to ask him twice, because for the first moment he saw that red metallic object he wanted to touch it, see it from inside and most of all know and see how it worked.

Darcy touched the car door which Lizzie had opened for him, it felt cold and smooth, he hesitantly got inside and sat on the chair, it was soft and grey. The inside of the car was more mesmerizing for him than the outside. There were so many small things to notice inside, he wanted to touch everything with his own hands like a small child but was controlling himself, he did not want to behave rudely sitting on her car and tampering with things he had never seen in his life before. She asked him to close the door and he grabbed a small thing which looked like a handle and closed the door little too forcefully without realising the weight of the metal door and the whole interior was filled with a banging noise. Then he heard a small click and simultaneously saw a small raised object on the door to automatically slide down. He touched it with his fingers and it did not felt like anything he had touched before, it was neither metal nor wood or glass, it felt something new. He looked out through the glass, everything was so clear, he had never seen so clear glass before.

Darcy was distracted when Lizzie spoke, "I would've asked you to wear the seatbelts but I don't think it is necessary now", she was looking at him quizzically. He wanted to ask about the seatbelts but was distracted when she put a key somewhere hidden from his view by a round wheel like object, it looked similar to a steering wheel one see in ships without the spikes but it was smaller. He wanted to touch that too but saw Lizzie turn her keys and the car shook a little on its place. Darcy could feel the vibration running through his own body and he could not refrain himself from speaking anymore and asked inquisitively, "Pray, tell me, how does this object works. I am utterly curious to know how this car moves without horses to pull it forward".

"Hmm, how do I explain this to you", Lizzie thought for a moment and then tried to simplify the process and said, "The car runs on fuel, mostly petrol but mine is a hybrid", she looked at Darcy who looked puzzled, so she said, "petrol is oil. There is an engine in the front under the hood", she pointed in the front of the car and continued, "The engine burns the oil for power and turns a motor. The motor then turns the gear which rotates the wheels and which in return moves the car forward or backward. That is the basic principal, but in reality it is very complicated and please don't ask me to explain it to you because I don't know it myself", Lizzie looked into the rear view mirror, put the reverse gear and backed her car. She heard Darcy let out a loud gasp as soon as the car moved, she was scared that Darcy will jump out of his seat and ran out of the car so she pushed the break, stopped the car and looked at him with concern and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am alright. Please, do not concern yourself Miss Bennet on my behalf. I was taken by surprise when the car moved", Darcy explained himself embarrassingly. He felt little panicked trapped in the closed confine space where he could not hide his shock and displeasure of his own reaction. He never felt comfortable showing his emotion and fear to people and especially to strangers. He wanted Lizzie to stop looking at him like that so he tried to distract her by pointing at the wheel, "Is that to course the car to proper direction?"

"Yeah, it's a steering wheel, to turn the car left or right. I am going to move the car again, try not to get surprise this time", Lizzie said with a grin and Darcy gave her an angry glare. She turned the car around and took a path to the woods looking for a secluded place. Darcy didn't speak again for the whole ride but Lizzie saw from the corner of her eye that he was inquisitively staring at the dashboards, lights, radio, music player and quite literally every single thing inside the car, even the floor mat, toy on the dash board and the one that was hanging from the rear view mirror. She was surprised how cool Darcy was, if it had been her from nineteenth century who met someone from the twenty-first century with a car, she would have eaten his brains out with all the questions with her sense of curiosity. She finally found a perfect place and stopped the car behind a large bush. She unlocked the door and showed Darcy how to open the door and they both got out quietly.

Lizzie picked the dried leaves and branches from nearby and started to cover the car with it and Darcy did the same watching her, no one spoke anything for the next five minutes it took them to cover the car completely. After it was done, Lizzie took few steps back and said with a smile, "Now, that's done, no one will find it in here. I'll come tomorrow and take it back to the barn you were saying earlier", Darcy nodded and both traced their steps back to the horse carriage.

"What is a hybrid", Lizzie heard Darcy say on their way, who was not looking at her but was walking beside her and she simply said, "Huh?"

Now Darcy looked at her giving a curious looked and said, "Earlier you said that your car was a hybrid, I was wondering what that means".

"Oh, that hybrid. It means that my car runs on oil as well as electricity", Lizzie explained.

"Electricity", Darcy asked.

"Oh my God, don't tell me electricity hasn't been invented yet. Shit, this will cause major problems", Lizzie cursed. This definitely would cause lots of difficulty for her, all the devices, her laptop, her car, each and everything is useless without a power supply. She was having doubts how she would survive and find her way back if she couldn't even use any of her gadgets for study and experiments.

Darcy flinched hearing Lizzie curse and said roughly, "If absence of electricity would cause you inconvenience, you must find another means to perform the task you desire".

"Yeah seems like I have to learn to live in the Dark Age now", Lizzie said disappointedly.

"This is not a Dark Age Madam. It is your ignorance which makes you think that everything in this time is ancient and obstructive", Darcy said unpleasantly.

"Yeah I know it's not your fault that you don't understand what I am missing, because you have never seen it", Lizzie said cynically. Darcy curled his fist on his side with rage, he increased his pace and reached the carriage, and he took his seat and pulled the carriage forward as soon as Lizzie sat next to him little awkwardly.

The ride again passed in silence but as soon as Lizzie saw the Pemberly grounds she uneasily said, "Mr. Darcy, we should think of a cover story of why I am here".

Darcy furrowed his brow and asked, "A cover story, Miss Bennet".

"Yeah, a cover story. We just can't say the truth to people that I crashed here from future, I don't think anyone will believe it in the first place and even if they did, I've no idea what they will do to me. So, I think we should come up with an elaborate lie which explains my presence here and my strange behaviour", Lizzie explained herself, she was talking so fast that Darcy had to slow down the carriage to listen to her.

He thought for a moment and said, "Yes, you are correct. I do not appreciate lying but a lie would be more sensible for someone in your condition then the truth".

Lizzie rolled her eyes and continued, "I think the best thing would be to say I am not from around here but from a far and strange place which would explain the way I talk and clothes I wear". She was waiting for Darcy to contradict her but he remained silent so she carried on, "Maybe we can even say that I am here for some work, carry out few experiments and we met through a common acquaintance, let's say Mr. John Smith and you invited me to stay at your place to help me out, what do you reckon Mr. Darcy", Lizzie asked him who was looking at her bewildered.

Darcy could not believe how conveniently Lizzie came up with her so called cover story, he was confounded by the ease she came up with all those lies and now she was waiting for his approval. He did not know how he felt lying through his teeth for her but he agreed and asked, "What are you going to say if anyone ask about the place you come from or the work you do or this Mr. Smith who I have never met."

"Oh, that's too easy, I'll say I'm from America", Lizzie said with a smirk, she said the first place popped in her head, she thought about America because Chris was American, he had told her numerous stories of his growing up there which she could easily make her own and she had been to States and she could fake to be American if it was required. She wondered for a second to came up with a reason why she was in Derbyshire and an automatic answer came to her, "And I am Naturalist or an Explorer who goes to different places and studies those places, and I am here to do some exploring and carry out some experiments. And I came to know about you through a friend of mine, Mr. Smith who is an American trader and you two know each other through some business you did few years ago. How's that for a cover story", Lizzie asked with mischief in her eyes.

Darcy was again dumbfounded by her slick lies, and smiled despite of himself, "That cover story sounds convincing enough, I will agree to it" and stopped near the stable.

"Great, I think I like this new me too", Lizzie smiled and jumped from the carriage and started to grab her bags.

"Leave your things as it is Miss Bennet, I will ask a servant to carry all the things to your room", Darcy stopped her but Lizzie still carried all her bags and said, "I like to do my things myself, I don't like to be dependent on other people to do my work for me".

Darcy made his way inside his home and saw Lizzie struggling with bags on the stairs, he gave her his hand and said, "You might not like to be dependent on people to do your work but you certainly agree to let them help you". Lizzie gave him a glare, sighed and gave him one of her bags. Both of them made their way to the same parlour she sat few hours ago.

Darcy asked her to take a seat and went to fetch someone. After few minutes he came back with an old woman and said, "Miss Bennet, this is Mrs. Reynolds, she will be helping you to make your stay comfortable here. You can summon her if you need anything" and looked at the old woman and said politely, "Mrs. Reynolds, this is Miss Bennet, she will be a guest here for few days. Please make sure to attend to her every need".

Lizzie saw Mrs. Reynolds looking strangely at her, she might have been looking at her jeans, T-shirt and Jacket but then she smiled and bowed and said politely, "It is nice to meet you Miss Bennet, your room will be ready in few moments".

"It's nice to meet you too, please call me Lizzie", Lizzie said with a smile and gave her hand to shake but the old woman looked at her hand confusingly not knowing what to do. Lizzie awkwardly backed away her hand remembering people do not shake hands at that time and said, "Thank you for everything".

Mrs. Reynolds bowed again politely and said to Darcy, "Master Darcy, you had not anything to eat since morning, shall I call the maids to serve lunch for you now".

"That will be agreeable and please tell the maids, Miss Bennet will be joining too and inform me when the guest room is prepared", Darcy said nonchalantly to the old lady who bowed and went out leaving Lizzie and Darcy alone in the parlour.

Lizzie looked around thinking about the morning how she had made a fool of herself thinking she was in some kind of reality show and saw Darcy staring at her. She casually started the conversation, "Thank you again Mr. Darcy. I have to say you have a very beautiful house", Darcy nodded his head politely but still didn't say anything.

Lizzie uneasily moved around and said, "It's a very large house, do you live here alone".

"No, my sister lives here too", Darcy said coolly pacing in the room.

"Oh, where is she", Lizzie inquired.

"She is not here at the moment. She is residing at our house in London".

"Oh, you have another house in London, is it a palace like this one too", Lizzie joked but saw Darcy who only glared at her. "Aren't you a rich and conceited jerk", Lizzie muttered under her breath and was now getting uncomfortable by Darcy's staring and pacing.

"Do your parents live here too", Lizzie wondered.

"No, they are not with us anymore", Darcy replied without showing emotion and Lizzie was curious why he was behaving so coldly. The silence between the two prevailed and Lizzie was thinking of saying something but suddenly she heard a knock on the door and a young woman dressed as a maid entered, bowed and said, "Master Darcy, the guest room is ready to be occupied".

Lizzie sprung from her seat wanting to get away from cold and silent Darcy and said cheerfully, "Thank you very much, if you could show me the room, I'll be on my way". Darcy gave Lizzie a sharp look and then nodded to the maid who gestured Lizzie to follow her. Lizzie grabbed her bags again and this time the maid helped her and took her to the next floor.

Lizzie was speechless to see the her large room, if she thought the parlour was magnificent, the large marble stairs were grand then she had no words good enough to describe her large, luxurious room. It was almost three times the size of her bedroom, the walls covered with green patterned fabric, a very large four poster bed covered with expensive sheets and a large table in one corner, chairs near the fireplace and a very large window. Lizzie dumped her bags on the floor and went to look out the window, the view was breathtaking, she had a full view of the beautiful Pemberly gardens full of flowers, fountains and statues. She felt like she was in some Presidential suite of a five star hotel. The maid whose name was Anne helped Lizzie with the bags and somehow Lizzie convinced her to call her Lizzie instead of Miss Bennet which made her felt like a school teacher, at least when they were alone. Lizzie instantly liked Anne, she was seventeen years old and was working there for two years, she was sweet, kind and funny. She was curious about Lizzie too and Lizzie knew that all of the servants were wondering about her but no one could ask the cold and arrogant Darcy so Anne was asking her the questions. Lizzie expertly told her cover story and was happy that she could convince at least one person with her acting skills.

After an hour Anne came back to take Lizzie to the dining room where Darcy was waiting for her. Lizzie wished that she could eat her lunch alone in her room but didn't say anything, she was glad that Anne was there to escort her otherwise she would have got lost in the maze of the big corridor, halls and rooms, in one word, she could describe Pemberly as a palace. When she reached the dining room, she saw Darcy sitting at the head of the table silently staring at the door. She gave him a polite smile when he stood up from his chair and she took her seat at a chair next to him. She wanted to sit on the opposite side for there would have been an excuse of not talking to him instead of sitting next to him in uncomfortable silence but she did not want to be rude.

In few moments, servants brought the first course which looked like tomato soup; Lizzie was waiting Darcy to begin before jumping on the food in front of her because she was starving but Darcy only looked at her and said evenly, "How do you find your accommodation Miss Bennet, I believe you are comfortable".

"Yes, I am very comfortable, the room is great, very big though. I don't need such huge room, I don't think I can pay for such a luxurious room", Lizzie said little agitatedly, she wanted Darcy to stop talking and start eating so she could put something in her mouth after a long time.

"You do not trouble yourself by paying the rent as I have said to you earlier, you are here as a guest not a tenant", Darcy said stiffly and much to Lizzie's relief started to eat his soup slowly.

"No, no, I want to pay as I have said earlier. Don't worry about me, I'll find a way to make up for everything you are doing for me. I'll be completely out of your way, you'll think I'm invisible", Lizzie said not looking at Darcy but looking at her food controlling herself from picking her bowl of soup and gulping everything in one move. She also started to eat her slowly and they both fell silent again.

The second course was served after few minutes, a beautiful platter of chicken. Darcy was eating silently because he noticed earlier how hungry Lizzie looked so he did not want to disturb her but he saw Lizzie looking at him awkwardly. He raised his eyebrows, and asked, "Is there any trouble with your food Miss Bennet".

"The food is great but.... umm..., the thing is I am vegetarian", Lizzie explained sheepishly.

"Is that suppose to mean something, you being a vegetarian", Darcy asked quizzically. He did not know what that meant, was it some kind of twenty first century religion.

Lizzie shook her head and said with a sigh, "It means that I don't eat animals, no meat or fish, nothing. Only plants, fruits and vegetables".

"Why is so, is it because of your religion, you are this vegetarian", Darcy asked doubtfully.

Lizzie rolled her eyes on that, "No, vegetarian is not a religion, it's a lifestyle. I don't eat dead animals because it's cruel to kill animals for food or entertainment, it's for the very same reason I don't hunt", Lizzie said thinking about their earlier conversation.

Darcy was little taken aback by her declaration; he wondered how the life in the future was to make people think like that. He determinedly said, "But the animals are bred and raised for food, there is nothing wrong with that".

"What a surprise I don't agree with you again. I think killing innocent animals is cruel, so please don't get offended if I decline to eat this delicious food in front of me", Lizzie said cynically, she knew Darcy will not understand her believes and she didn't want to argue with him again and tried to drop the subject.

Darcy only signalled his servant standing at the back and said, "Please ask the cook to prepare some food which do not contain animals for Miss Bennet". The servant looked astonishingly at Lizzie and then bowed and left. After ten minutes the maid came with a plate full of fruits, bread and some dish made with potatoes and Lizzie quenched her hunger by concentrating on her food silently but from the corner of her eyes she could see the maid, servants and Darcy staring at her. She sighed internally thinking everyone must think her as some crazy woman, she made up her mind to ditch any of the lunch or dinner from there on onwards. She decided she will eat in her room or the kitchen or if required will cook her own food.

Darcy was sitting in his study and was thinking about how his day turned out to be. He woke up early in the morning and decided to go for a ride to clear his head but he stumbled upon Lizzie, a creature from the future with whom he did not see eye to eye and was having arguments anytime either of them opened their mouth. He was finding her very difficult to converse to but still he wanted to talk to her, ask questions and know more about her. It had been four hours before she excused herself from the table and disappeared, and what a disaster it was so he called for a maid to instruct them about Lizzie's food habit.

"Can I get you anything Master Darcy", Darcy heard a young woman speak politely.

"Yes, can you inform Mrs. Reynolds or the cook to make something particularly for Miss Bennet for the dinner as she does not eat any animal's meat", Darcy instructed. He waited for the maid to agree and leave but she stood there clenching and unclenching her palms at her side.

He gave her a sharp look to say whatever she wanted to say, so she hesitantly began, "Miss Bennet said she could not join you for the dinner, Master Darcy. She asked me to apologise to you for any trouble she had caused on her behalf if you asked for her".

"Does she wish to eat her supper in her room alone then", he asked agitatedly.

"No Master Darcy, couple of hours ago Miss Bennet called for me and asked me to bring some bread, water and fruits. I saw her pack the food and water into her large bag and she told me that she had to do some work outside and asked me to tell you to not worry for her, she will see you tomorrow and then she left", maid said in one breath.

Darcy was angry now, he was tired of Lizzie's antics and asked little too loudly, "Did she say where she was going" and saw the maid flinch and take a step backward little scared. He soon regretted raising his voice when the maid answered squeaked with fear, "No Master Darcy, she did not say anything about her intended destination. She only said if things did not go well she will see me tomorrow".

"Thank you, Anne. I am sorry if I scared you", he apologised quietly and dismissed her.

Darcy started to pace the room now getting angrier at Lizzie, he was thinking what was wrong with her, how can she leave without telling him anything, and where she will go and do in the night. He could not understand what would make her do that. He saw outside the window, there was still little sunlight, if he would hurry, he could find her and bring her back safely.

He went to the stable, saddled his horse and rode into the sunset with a clear destination in his mind because he knew where she would be.

* * *

_Please read and review, I want to know what you think about the story and I will love to hear any suggestion which will make me help to improve the story._

_Happy reading_


	8. Chapter 8

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never **

_First of all I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed and put this story on their story alert and favourite list._

_ I want to personally thank Rhea, Kim, Gubbs, Geril, somebunnyelse, Fyreheart, Kantiss, Eloise, honuangel, Irene Blake, Princess Eclipse and Elizabeth's and Darcy's Daughter. You guys rock, thanks for your reviews and please keep them coming they definitely make me want to update faster and make me write a better story._

_I just want to mention that I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Many people earlier commented about Lizzie's rude behaviour and I tried to explain it in this chapter. Hope you guys like this chapter._

_Please, please, please review, I really want to know what you think, it makes me so happy to read your reviews. Enough rambling, enjoy the chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

The sun was almost setting, hiding under the horizon, Lizzie saw the sky went from red to black and the evening gradually turned into dark night, there was no moon on the clear sky, how different that night was from the unfortunate last night. She was terrified at her wit's end with the turn of events but was trying to be calm and collective so that she could find her way back to her home, but sadly for her, she lose her cool every time she was around one Fitzwilliam Darcy. He subconsciously or according to Lizzie, deliberately was pushing all her buttons making her angry and mad.

Lizzie took a deep breath and concentrated working on her tent, it was almost done, her shelter for the night. It was good thing, with her equipments for the research project she was also carrying lots of supplies and camping equipments. All the things like the tent, sleeping bags, flash light and tools were coming handy. After erecting the tent, Lizzie concentrated on the fire. She had collected lots of dry woods from the forest and wanted to light a big fire which lasted whole night in fear of wild animals, she wasn't sure what kind of creatures resided in the forest.

The flames were bright and dancing in the wind in front of her, Lizzie sighed and took her seat near the fire. The night was cold, Lizzie zipped her jacket and finally the severity of the situation hit her, what if she couldn't find her way back, what if she was struck in the nineteenth century forever, what will she do without her family, friends and Chris? Lizzie shook her head, she didn't want to get depressed and freak out thinking of such things. Suddenly she heard a clear sound of hoofs. She stood with a jerk, grabbed a long stick and her stun gun as a weapon. She didn't want to admit it, but she was little scared, were there robbers and bandits in the dark forest in nineteenth century? She tried to recall the stories of Robinhood and what century the stories took place.

A tall man appeared from the darkness holding the strap of his horse; Lizzie couldn't figure out the face in the darkness, she could only see a distinct shape of a man. When the man stepped closer, she finally saw who it was in the light of fire and exhaled a deep breath with relief, she didn't realize she was holding a breath in the first place.

As soon as Lizzie saw Mr. Darcy, she released her defensive position, placed her hands to her side, still firmly holding the stick and the stun gun. She asked astonishingly, "What are you doing here Mr. Darcy?"

"I want to ask you the same question Miss Bennet." Darcy answered with rage.

Lizzie took a step back instinctively looking at the furious expression on Darcy's face, what had she done now, he was looking at her like she had committed a felony. She was angry at him too, the man just wouldn't leave her alone. Temper taking her control, she answered sarcastically, "Playing football, what do you think?"

"Do you think this is the right time to jest? I was so worried for you. It is such an inappropriate behaviour to venture into the night without even telling your host where you were going." Darcy added furiously taking a step closer to Lizzie.

"Didn't you get my message? I asked Anne to tell you if you asked for me that I have some work to do and not to get worried." Lizzie said innocently, this only aggravated Darcy's anger. How could she act so innocent after everything she had put him through?

"Oh, I received your message alright. But you forgot to mention where you were going." Darcy said frustratingly looking at her.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and said, "I didn't forget. I just thought it wasn't necessary for her to know where I was going, and if I had told her, she would have thought I was crazy."

"What about me? You could have at least made the courtesy to mention it to me." Darcy said annoyingly taking another step closer to her, that woman would soon drive him insane with all her eye rolling.

"I didn't want to disturb you." Lizzie defended herself and then added as an afterthought "What surprises me is how you found me?" and crossed her arms around her.

Darcy only shook his head in disbelieve at her answer, she was scared to disturb him, instead she made him more anxious with sudden departure. He replied hastily "I had a notion where you would be, there are not many places you are familiar with and I knew you would be here."

"Huh, smart!" Lizzie said nodding her head and giving Darcy a half smile.

Darcy shrugged and said with a grudge "What I do not understand is what are you doing here in the night, do you have any perception of how dangerous this is?

"Oh my God, are there wild animals in the woods? I knew it, I heard something when I was picking the woods and I thought I was being paranoid, I was hearing stuffs." Lizzie jumped next to Darcy and was looking around deep into the shadows of the trees with fear in her eyes.

It was Darcy's turn to roll his eyes, he could not figure this woman out, she came into the forest in the middle of night without giving a single thought of her safety and now she was concerned about wild animals. "No, there are no wild animals in this part of the woods." Darcy answered impatiently looking at her.

"What about robbers and bandits who steal from the rich and give to the poor? Cause I can bet I heard something earlier." Lizzie still looked around but the trace of fear vanished from her face.

"No, this is a protected land and such foul people do not reside in this part of the Derbyshire. I am sure you must have heard some small animal." Darcy said stiffly. He wondered if the woman was so worried, why she even came there.

"What about the native of these woods called 'The Others' who kill anyone who trespasses on their land or crazy giant smoke monsters?"

"What are you talking about?" Darcy gave Lizzie a quizzical look at her wild imagination and then noticed than she was giving a mischievous grin and he realised that she was pulling his leg. He gave her an angry glare, the will of her, she was making jokes when he was so worried for her safety.

"There is a time for jest and time to be serious, Miss Bennet." Darcy said with a disregard.

"Sorry, couldn't help a 'Lost' joke. You wouldn't understand." Lizzie said with a smile, tugging her jacket and making circles with her foot in the ground.

Darcy only stared at her, he was angry but amused at the same time, the woman was lost in time, was scared and alone in the woods and still had the affinity to find humour in tough situation and laugh. He realized she definitely had a pretty smile and her eyes lit up when she was in amusing mood.

"What are you doing here in the first place, Miss Bennet?" Darcy said hurriedly looking away from her eyes, they were making him uncomfortable. He also took a step away from her and stiffly stood near the fire and looked around. He noticed the tent in bright blue colour at one side, he wondered how quickly and without any help she managed to construct a shelter and start a fire.

"Waiting for that damn portal to open again so that I could return home." Lizzie said gritting her teeth.

Darcy flinched a little at her cursing; he would have to caution her for her vocabulary and use of inappropriate words. She was in his time now and such behaviour was unwelcome. He said haughtily, "And how can be you certain that the portal will open again?"

"I just hoped this would be a twenty-four hour fluke, and tonight the portal will open again at the same time and same place. And this damn nightmare will be over and I'll go back home" Lizzie said with a sigh and sting in her voice, she looked at the burnt ground where her car crashed from twenty first century and left a distinct mark. She was desperately wishing the portal to open again and she would jump right into it and all that would be over like a bad dream.

"And what if it does not open tonight, what will you do then?" Darcy asked.

Lizzie looked at him, plopped on the ground and said dejectedly "I've no idea, what I'll do next but it doesn't hurt to wait here and try."

"Are you implying that you will stay here in the woods whole night?" Darcy asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, if that what it takes. Why else do you think I was here, did you think I fancied a walk in deep woods at night like a Banshee?" Lizzie said cynically, _does that man understand anything at all_.

Lizzie's sarcastic remarks were making Darcy angrier, he practically spat his words "But it is unsafe and inappropriate for us to spend the night in the woods like this."

Lizzie jumped to her feet and angrily said "Who the hell asked you to stay here? If you are so sacred and worried, just go back to your home and sleep in your big warm bed."

Darcy lost his cool and said clenching his fist and giving Lizzie a deathly glare "You first think and realize who you are talking to in such rowdy manner. I came here to look for you, make sure you were safe and this is how you are behaving? You are acting in very inconsiderate manner, Miss Bennet."

"Oh, save it. Nobody asked you to come after me. You are a control freak and you are here to boss me around." Lizzie answered furiously at his accusation. She never liked Darcy from the first time she saw him and was sure that his nineteenth century's narrow mindedness was not letting him see a woman make her decisions and do what she wanted to do. That was the reason he was there, to control her but she was stubborn too, she would not let a male chauvinist dictate her.

"I can see my mistake now, I was wrong to think of your well being. You do not care for anyone's regards and are disrespectful to people's feelings. This might be the way people behave in your time but in this time we are respectful and civil. Since you are in this time, you could learn few things." Darcy said arrogantly.

Lizzie finally realized what he was talking about; she was over reacting and freaking out and getting her anger and frustration out at the man standing in front of her. She took some deep breaths and counted slowly till ten in her mind. She didn't like Mr. Darcy but knew he was right, she was behaving selfishly.

She calmly said without showing her guilt in her voice "Please Mr. Darcy, give me a break, cut me few slacks here. I've been ripped apart from my world, family, friends and loved ones and thrown not only into a strange place but also in a stranger time. Give me atleast a day to freak and act out crazily. I know if it were you in my place, if you would have been thrown into twenty first century, I would have given you atleast a month to freak out and then started to yell at you."

Darcy heard Lizzie and grasped what she was telling. She was right, she was scared, lost and lonely and such people do behave differently. He was being impatient and was expecting her to behave according to his standards, his liking and he did not even care what she was feeling. He silently stared at her, he did not know what to say at such revelation from her.

Lizzie saw Darcy staring at her silently, she knew he didn't like what she said so she stood little straighter, pulled herself to her height and said with all dignity, "Don't worry. I'll not cause you anymore problems. I'll get my bags first thing in the morning and you'll never see me again. Thanks for everything."

"No, no. I do not wish you to leave my home." Darcy said a little too hastily at her plan of moving out. "I want to help you and stay as long as you want." He added politely.

"No, it's alright. I can see you clearly don't like me. It's best for both of us if I move out and we don't see each other anymore." Lizzie said with a small smile.

Darcy looked surprised by the thing she said, he embarrassingly said "No, it is not that I do not like you. It is only that I do not approve of certain things you do."

"Like what?" Lizzie asked.

Darcy looked at her and thought how to put what he wanted to say in appropriate words. He said stiffly, "I do not understand why you have to curse so much or at all."

Lizzie simply laughed at it and said "I curse so much because I found out earlier in life that it's easier to take life's disappointment and problems if you could swear at it." Darcy was little taken aback at her answer, it was wrong but true at the same time.

"Anything else you don't like about me?" Lizzie probed watching Darcy amusingly.

Darcy hesitated for a moment and then replied "Sometimes when you talk, you shout and make inappropriate remarks."

"Hey, I accept that sometimes I overreact but I also know that it's easier to deal with stupid people with sarcasm than punching them on their face for their stupidity." Lizzie said dejectedly.

Darcy was angry with that remark, was Lizzie implying that he was stupid, how she dare say such things about him. "Such behaviour from a respectable women are improper and unacceptable, Miss Bennet," Darcy said heatedly.

Lizzie also raised her voice and said "Screw the propriety, I can count ten times today you shouted at me and make sarcastic comments. This is plain hypocrisy and sexism, men can do anything and women have to be all mild and coy. What kind of society is that?"

"What about the indecent clothes you are wearing? You cannot wear such clothes here, you should wear a proper women's dress and clothing, not men's trouser and tunic." Darcy recoiled his attack on Lizzie.

"My clothes are decent and respectable. It's not like I'm wearing a mini skirt and showing any skins. I'm all covered up, from toe to neck." Lizzie lashed tugging her jacket close to her. How dare he say she was wearing vulgar clothes, she was wearing a jeans, full sleeved t-shirt and jacket on top of it. Does he want her to wrap herself in a sheet and cover herself from top to bottom like a Halloween ghost, she hated his double standards.

"What about your short hair and why is it blue in some places?" Darcy pointed, no one was backing out from this fight and they were shouting at each other like couple of twelve years old.

Lizzie was horrified by his comment on her hair, she loved her hair, and he had gone too far by attacking her hair. "These are called highlights you fashion retarded ignorant. I love this colour and I think it gives my hair some personality, like you would understand that." Lizzie said annoyingly running her fingers on her short neck length hair with soft curls and midnight blue highlights. She wondered how he could even see that colour in the dark.

"I am not an ignorant, I have never seen such colour in a society women's hair. It looks more like gypsy women would do such things." Darcy said with disgust.

"Oh, now I get it. You don't like the way I talk, I walk, the clothes I wear, the way I look or even the way I breathe or live. This is your way of getting back at me for punching you in the morning. I hurt your male ego and pride and this is how you are getting back at me, by saying everything I do is wrong and I'm ugly. It's cheap... very cheap trick. Why don't you just punch me on the face and get it over with." Lizzie said strongly taking a step in front of him glaring him with disgust. How much she hated that man at that instant, that arrogant, conceited, criticizing jerk.

Darcy went a little numb at her accusation, how could she think he was still holding a grudge against her, he stiffly and authoritatively said, "I am not saying these things because of the unfortunate incident in the morning. And it is repulsive to even think that I will lay a finger on you. I am only pointing out that your twenty first century customs and behaviour is not appropriate at this time and you should behave according to the time you are living in and not on your own selfish interest."

"Gee, thanks a lot for your concern." Lizzie said sarcastically and stepped away from him. She didn't want to talk to him, fight with him and even look at him anymore. She moved to the opposite corner of the fire, away from his straight view and sat on the ground all angry and furious. Who does he think he was, telling her what to do, he was worse than her ever-controlling mother, he was acting like an old, stiff school principal. She waited for him to take the cue and leave her alone, she made her mind, she could not and she _would not_ live with him for even a day.

Darcy saw Lizzie sitting opposite to him, he was very angry at her, he wanted to leave that place and not stay in her company for a single second, and he had never said she was ugly or everything she did was wrong. He was fascinated by her and thought she had pretty eyes, but everything he said, she took it in wrong context and lash out at him. He was at his wit's end to think of something to make amends with her but could not think of anything. He thought of leaving her there alone, he was not responsible for her and he did not care for her. He looked around for his horse ready to leave and then saw that the night was too dark, he would not be able to find his way back through the woods in the dark without proper path and illumination.

He also sat dejectedly on the ground now frustrated at himself because of his twisted decision to stay. He said to himself that he was only staying because he did not want to get lost in the woods, it had nothing to do with leaving Lizzie alone and unprotected in the woods all by herself.

Two hours passed in silence, Lizzie was calmed down but was frustrated by Darcy who was not leaving her alone, but at the back of her mind she was grateful for his presence. She was hungry and looked for her bag pack, she had some food in there. She rose from her place and got her bag from the tent and from the corner of her eyes she could see Darcy leaning against an old broken tree trunk staring at the fire with blank expression on his face, it looked like he was thinking very hard.

She felt bad looking at him like that, the man was right, he was doing so much for her and instead of being grateful she was fighting with him. She realized he was also right at saying that as long she was in nineteenth century she should live according the customs and norms of that time and not expect people to accept her for her weird twenty first century behaviour. She gulped her pride and tried not to remember everything Darcy had said about her because if she did, she would again feel furious and get angry at him, instead she tried to concentrate at his good characters, no matter how few and little it was, she focused that he was helpful and was there even if he didn't had to.

Lizzie quietly made her way to Darcy who was still staring into the fire, deep in his thoughts. She cleared her throat to make her presence noticed and Darcy came out of this deep trench of oblivion. He looked up and saw Lizzie standing next to him trying to smile but he could see she was failing at it.

He only stared at her and then saw her get something out from the bag and she was holding an apple in front of him and said politely "I thought you might be hungry because I know I am."

Darcy still stared at her, what was with her, she changed her behaviour as England's weather. She was still giving him an expectant look so he nodded politely and took the apple. He waited for her to leave but to his surprise she sat next to him, so he sat a little straighter in response.

Lizzie started to get all the food out from her bag, fruits, bread, water and something which looked like marmalade, she thanked Anne silently and was watching Darcy through her peripheral vision. He didn't look angry, it gave her a little courage and she started the conversation.

"Mr. Darcy, I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I reacted earlier. It was rude and I lost my control and overreacted." Lizzie explained herself calmly offering him some more food and water.

Darcy moved awkwardly at his place and was definitely surprised by her sudden change in tone. "I am sorry too, Miss Bennet. It was inappropriate to say such things to you. I acted impatiently." He apologised too, as long as Lizzie was being polite and honest he decided he should be too. For the past two hours he was thinking about the things she said to him, running her words over and over in his head. Was he really proud, arrogant, controlling and hypocrite? He begged to differ but it definitely was not his best day.

"Glad we cleared that out. Here, have some bread." Lizzie smiled and offered him the food. They both ate in complete silence. No one said another word, Darcy was waiting for Lizzie to say something but she didn't want to jinx the truce and kept quiet to avoid anymore arguments.

When the short and quiet dinner was over, Lizzie grabbed the bag and kept it in the tent and then said to Darcy who was staring at her "You can sleep in the tent, if you want."

Darcy was little perplexed and then realized what she said and asked uncomfortably "Where will you sleep then?"

"I'm not going to sleep, I'll keep an eye out for that portal or wormhole. God forbid if I miss it." Lizzie replied nonchalantly.

"No, then I'll wait here with you. I will not sleep either." Darcy replied, he could not miss the chance to see something like that.

"As you wish." Lizzie shrugged her shoulder and took her old place near the fire, the night was getting colder, and she had to get the blanket out in few minutes, she thought.

After few minutes she saw Darcy standing from his place and pacing. She wanted to ask what his problem was, he was giving her a headache pacing left-right like that but thought better of it and held her tongue. After few minutes later Darcy came to Lizzie and said hastily "Miss Bennet, I do not want you to move out of my house on my regard." He was thinking about it for last few minutes, it would definitely be easier for him if she was not in his life but he could not ask her to leave, more like he did not _want_ her to leave.

Lizzie looked at him curiously and said, "It's alright Mr. Darcy, don't worry about me, I'll be alright."

"Miss Bennet, I regret what I said earlier, and I want you to stay, I wish to help you." Darcy said awkwardly.

"Even after you know that I tend to overreact sometimes, make sarcastic comments, don't listen to anyone and do as I please." Lizzie said with a smile.

Darcy smiled too and said, "Yes, despite that. But I hope you will not do that in front of anyone and too often."

Lizzie laughed at that, she thought for a while and answered "Thanks for your faith in me. But I still think that it's wise to move out because clearly we don't get along too well."

Darcy was hurt by that, he was not sure that he should be happy or disappointed that he could not get along with someone like Lizzie. He said casually "If you think that would be more convenient for you to stay somewhere, where no one knows your secret and will not come to your aid than to live with someone who knows who you are and is willing to help you. Then I will gladly accept your decision."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, Darcy was more cunning and sly than she thought. How could she say no to something if he puts it like that? "Alright, I've got your point. It'll be easier for me to stay at your place after we came up with such a good cover story and all. Looks like you'll have to bear with my improper conduct a little while longer if this damn portal doesn't open tonight." Lizzie said with a crooked smile.

Darcy simply nodded but when she was not looking a smile appeared on his lips. He looked at her and she was staring at him so he politely said, "As you wish."

"I know we started on the wrong foot but I'm ready to take the high road. As a peace offering I'll stay out of your way, try to keep my temper in control and keep my cursing to totally G-rated." Lizzie offered.

"If you could do that, it would be pleasurable. But what is G-rated?" Darcy asked quizzically.

"It means, using the swear word which can be used in front of children. It implies, no swearing at all. But I'm not sure how successful I'll be with that." Lizzie said mischievously.

Darcy nodded and then added "What about you wearing a proper dress?"

Lizzie said a little loudly, "Hey, first of all I don't have the any nineteenth century dresses with me and it's not like I can just walk into a shopping mall and buy it tomorrow. And second thing, there is nothing wrong with the clothes I wear, they are decent and respectful and I'll wear my long over coat in front of all other people just for precaution." Lizzie gave up her final thought.

Darcy remembering how their earlier conversation went, cautiously said, "I understand there is nothing wrong with the clothes you own. You can wear my sister Georgiana's clothes, she is taller than you but I believe they will fit you."

"But I don't do dresses, it's not my style. If you can't see, I'll tell you that I'm little tom-boyish. Dresses are hindering and uncomfortable." Lizzie whined a little.

Darcy was not sure what to say to something like that, he had never heard anyone complaining about wearing dresses before. He looked around unsure of what to do next and how to convince her without provoking her but to his good fortune Lizzie sighed and said, "Alright, I'll wear the dress only when I've to go to town or be around other people. But I'm telling you now, I'll be wearing my clothes when I'm doing my work and experiments in the woods and nearby."

"That would be agreeable." Darcy nodded and sat a little far from her silently, now little happier with their peace agreement.

Lizzie said after few moments "I only want one thing from you in return." Darcy raised his eyebrow at that. She added "I want you to not come in my way, let me do my work in peace and quiet and stop bossing me around. I hate when people try to control me."

Darcy glared at her in amazement, when had he tried to control her or come in her way, he was only trying to help her all this time but he sighed and agreed to the conditions, their very own truce treaty.

Darcy gazed into the dark sky, watching the stars and from the corners of the sky he could see Lizzie staring at the ground where she came to this world yesterday through a portal, waiting it to open. He quietly stared at her when she was not looking, he wanted to ask so many things from her but stopped himself, they just had an agreement that they will stay away from each other's way and he did not want to disturb her, he was actually enjoying looking at her in silence, the way she tilted her head a little thinking something, deep in her thoughts, the way she was looking at the sky and sighing. Sometimes she was playing with her zip in the jacket and sometimes with just her scarf and fingers. He was not sure why but he was happy just sitting there watching her and his eyelids started to droop a little, his head felt heavy and he was not sure when he fell asleep, unsure that she would be there in the morning or will travel back to her world in the middle of the night.

* * *

_Just want to say, read and review. I love to hear your thoughts, comment and views._

_Happy reading :)_


	9. Chapter 9

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

_First of all, I am so, so, so sorry everyone, I took forever to update. I was so busy that I didn't even have time to die. I had few job interviews and had to release the project I am working on and I was working on my other stories too. I know, these are only excuses and doesn't justify the way I have been ignoring my readers and this story. But I really love this story and will never give it up in the middle. I am determined to complete it. So, my dear readers please forgive me and come back. Please come back and read and review the story. I really would love to know what you think about the story and if you liked the chapters or not._

_Also need to thank **honuangel, Gentileschi, Marivan, Irene Blake, geril, Eloise** (I'm so sorry, I cannot reply to you, but I assure you I will try to update the story soon. Thank you for your love and support) and **Miriam**. You guys are great, you colour my world with your amazing reviews and kind love and support. I cannot thank you enough. Please keep your reviews coming. I really love you guys so much._

_

* * *

  
_

**Chapter 9**

The sunlight fell into his eyes waking Fitzwilliam Darcy up. He was disoriented for few moments unable to recall what he was doing in the middle of nowhere. He sat up straight, rubbing his eyes, looking around and saw the burnt woods from the fire in front of him and finally the events of last night made an impact in his mind. He looked all around, craning his neck and there was no sign of Lizzie or her electric blue tent.

Darcy stood up with a jerk, panicking that Lizzie went back to her time and he missed everything by his deep slumber. When he stood, he saw a blanket slip down on the ground. He held it in his hands, it was soft and red in colour. His lips formed a small smile, Lizzie must have put it on him in the middle of the night thinking he was cold. She was angry at him but she still cared, made him comfortable in his sleep. His smile soon turned into a frown as soon as he realized that he will never see her again. She didn't even bother to wake him up, say goodbye before she returned to her own world. He wrapped the blanket around him, inhaled it hoping to get a faint smell of her.

"Good morning Mr. Darcy. Feeling cold?" Darcy heard a voice from behind. He turned around a little startled, losing his balance but somehow managing to remain on his two feet.

He smiled when he saw Lizzie standing on the side of his horse, petting it, rubbing its neck gently. No wonder he didn't see her, she was hiding away from his sight behind the horse. She looked tired. He felt guilty thinking he was happy that she could not return to her home.

"Miss Bennet, you are still here?" He asked trying to remove all trace of happiness from his voice.

"Yeah, looks like I'll have the pleasure to stay in nineteenth century a little longer. Ohh joy!" She said sarcastically.

Darcy smiled despite her sarcasm, somehow he could not get angry at her that time. "Maybe now you could make an effort to enjoy your unwanted stay here." He added courteously.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and said amusingly "I'll try my best but can't make any promises."

Darcy sighed, she did not want to stay there any longer than necessary. He shook his head lightly when he realized that he was staring at her petting the horse. The morning sunlight made her face glow and she was right when she said that the blue highlights in her hair gave it a personality. It was contrasting to the warmth of her brown eyes, instead it brought it out even more.

He silently folded the blanket and handed it to Lizzie, "Thank you for the blanket Miss Bennet."

"No problem. You looked cold when the fire died." She shrugged her shoulder lightly and packed it in her large bag.

Darcy nodded his head and said "Are you ready to return to Pemberly?"

"Yes, but I need to get my car first." She answered.

"Of course. I will show you the barn you can hide it." He suggested.

"Great." She agreed.

Darcy was astonished, she was in better mood today. Despite her failure to go home, she did not look distressed or anxious.

"You should take some rest after some breakfast." Darcy said kindly.

"I think I'll just directly go to sleep and give 'It's a nightmare and I'll soon wake up from it' theory another go" she said amusingly.

"I apologise to be the one to say this, but your theory is gravely incorrect." He said dryly.

She sighed "I already know that. But denial is bliss." She added the last part humorously and he could not help smile at her attitude.

Darcy and Lizzie made their way back to her car in comfortable silence. No one wanted to discuss their argument or their understanding from last night. Both enjoying the peace and quiet of the woods and their truce.

Lizzie placed her bag inside her car and followed Darcy on his horse to the Pemberly. He helped her hide the car in the barn and she said good night to him with small chuckle and made her way to her quarters.

Darcy did not get to see Lizzie for the whole week since that morning. She never joined him for the meals or in the study or library. He was frustrated that she took the promise to be invisible from him so strongly and he could not disturb her either because he promised to stay out of her way.

Though every evening Anne came to him and handed him a note from Lizzie which had a small message _'Camping tonight at the same place. No need to worry or come after me. Hope it'll open tonight. Fingers crossed. – L'_.

Darcy smiled reading the same message every day, at least she was trying to be a little cooperative. She was listening to his desire to notify him if she was going somewhere but she did not want him to be there with her. Every morning Darcy asked Anne if she returned from her camping trip and every time Anne said yes, baffled by his question.

Lizzie had conjured this elaborate tale that she was studying and experimenting on the nature and habitat of nocturnal birds and animals residing in the woods. That is why she had to stay up and camp there every night to learn their characteristics and sleep whole day. Anne seemed satisfied by that story but Mrs. Reynolds was not. She asked Darcy many times what Miss Bennet was up to in the woods every night and he narrated the same story over and over again. He was sure Mrs. Reynolds could sense he was lying and did not bother him again, but she kept an eye out for Lizzie and her wired behaviours.

Finally on the eighth day when Darcy's patience with Lizzie gave up, he decided it was time to have a word with her. He paced near the stables at the same time she left for woods everyday taking that same path. He saw her coming out from the kitchen's back door. No wonder he never saw her when he was strolling at the main door and sometimes back door of Pemberly hoping to catch her on her way out, she was sneaking out from the kitchen door all that time.

"Going for a ride at this time, Mr. Darcy?" Lizzie said with an amusing smile as she approached him.

"The inappropriate time does not seem to affect your decision to walk into the woods all alone Miss Bennet, so why should it bother me." Darcy answered impatiently.

"Because I'm on a secret mission. Are you on one too?" Lizzie said annoyingly. The man had a nerve, he just couldn't keep himself out of her way. Forget about talking nicely, he always seemed ready to bite her head off.

Darcy ignored her question. Could she ever be pleased to see him, ask him how he had been all that time? He had not seen her for days or knew how she was and what she had been doing. Instead every time she had a witty remark to throw him off of his comfort zone.

"About you secret mission Miss Bennet, I have to say that if the portal did not open until now, it might not open again anytime soon. I hope you realize that it might not open at the same place either. So you should not endanger yourself camping in the woods every night. And now people are talking about your activities too." Darcy voiced his opinion honestly.

"Thanks for your amazing insight, Sherlock. How could I've been so blind to not see it? Stupid, stupid Lizzie." Lizzie said sarcastically and hitting her forehead dramatically at the last part.

Darcy was furious at her. Not only did she make sarcastic comment about his intelligence, she was making fun of him too. And who was Sherlock? Was it the same person as Einstein she compared to him earlier, he wondered irritatingly, not understanding her retorts.

Darcy opened his mouth to object but she cut him in the middle and said sternly "First of all, I've already made up a story to explain my camping situation and I don't care what people think about it or my actions for that matter."

Lizzie glared angrily at Darcy and said "Second of all, I don't think you are worried about my safety in the woods because you already said that it's safe. I think you are angry that people are asking you why you are letting me do these things and that you are unable to control me."

She took a large breath and continued "And finally, I already know that the damn portal will not open anytime soon. I'm not just sitting there, waiting for it to open. I'm carrying out some test and experiments for my follow up studies. And I've managed to get some good readings, just need to solve my power problem so that I could analyze my data. So stop meddling into my affairs and leave me alone."

Lizzie said the last part little strongly and stomped out of there without giving Darcy any opportunity to say a single word. Darcy stood there, watching her retreating figure, surprised by her outburst. He did not want to talk to her so harshly but he could not help himself and blurted out the worries in his mind in haste. He was furious at himself for being so impatient with her, making her angry and ever doubting her intelligence. He had no idea she had been doing so much all that time. She could have mentioned it to him, instead she kept him in dark regarding the work she was doing. How was he supposed to know about her experiments? He realized he was silly to think she was waiting for that portal to open, helpless and powerless. She did not need his support or strength, she was more than capable to handle everything herself. And he admired her for that.

Next day Darcy was waiting in his study for another message from Lizzie, but Anne did not show up. After waiting sometime, he summoned Anne to ask if Miss Bennet had left him a note and she informed that she did not venture into the woods that night.

Darcy relaxed a little, he feared that she would leave without saying anything to him but she did not. He figured that she might be angry but she was still there. He decided he will talk to her during the dinner but she did not show for the supper and Mrs. Reynolds notified him that she was having her meal in her room. Darcy considered to go talk to her or simply call for her but thought better of it and decided to give her some time to cool her anger off.

Darcy woke up bright and early next day, he was thinking of ways to talk to Lizzie, hopefully she would join him for the breakfast. He was looking outside his window contemplating to take advantage of waking up soon and going for a ride but he saw Lizzie coming out of the house, stretching a little and then running into the direction of the Pemberly's secluded grounds.

Darcy was astonished to see her go into those grounds where not many people go. It was nothing there, only enormous fields with grass and wild plants growing. He was scared something might have happened to her or why someone would run into there so early in the morning. He grabbed his coat and made his way out of the house to the same direction as her.

He could see her running fast, out of her breath going in no particular destination in general, just running. He increased his pace, keeping her in his eye sight all the time observing her, thinking what she was doing. After coming more than a mile away from the Pemberly he saw her stop suddenly in the field. He approached her, he was still very far away from her but he looked around to see what could have brought her there at six in the morning.

Darcy saw Lizzie panting, she was bending down holding her stomach with one hand and her knees in the other. After few seconds she collapsed in the ground and Darcy ran worried that something might had happened to her. Darcy was still many yards away from her then he saw Lizzie standing, she took off her jacket, tied it to her waist and drank from a bottle which was tied on her waist too. Darcy stopped at his place, what was that woman doing?

Lizzie jumped a couple of times at her place, stretched her legs, arms and shoulder and quickly did few push-ups and crunches. Her whole body felt like it was throbbing with her every heart beat and breathe she took. She felt rejuvenated and charged. She hadn't had a good run in days, sleeping during day, working in night, her whole body felt cramped and constricted. Her inner biological clock was all messed up. What better way to recharge herself with new life and energy than a good run. She knew no one would be awake so early, she could easily stretch her legs and will even get to see the new and ignored grounds of Pemberly. Taking a final gulp from her bottle, she stretched again and started the run to return before anyone sees her. She always ran with IPod plugged in her ears but since her battery was dead she was still singing a song in her head.

Lizzie focused on her breathing and was running quite fast and all of a sudden she collided with a hard object. Where the hell that tree come from... oh wait, it's not a freaking tree. Lizzie rammed hard into Darcy's chest. She did not see where he came from all of a sudden out of nowhere and she lost her balance and hit him hard.

They both fell into the ground together. Darcy was holding Lizzie in both his arms, took most of the impact to the collision as well as the fall. He was flat on the surface and she was on top of him, he was encaging her protectively. He could feel her shallow breaths on his chest, her small sweat covered body in his grip and still she smelt as strawberry and flowers. What perfume she was wearing, Darcy wondered.

"What the hell..." Lizzie whimpered still entangled in his strong hold. She lifted her head and saw Darcy lying on the earth, his eyes closed.

"Shit." She cursed as she tried to free herself to get up but fell on Darcy's chest unable to loosen his iron steel grasp.

Darcy opened his eyes when he heard her curse and sense she was trying to free herself. He released her and she sat right next to him on her knees panting.

She looked worriedly at him and asked "Mr. Darcy are you alright? I'm sorry I didn't see you there. Are you hurt?"

Darcy sat up rubbed the back of his head and said "I am fine Miss Bennet. Are you hurt?"

Lizzie relaxed, letting go of a big breath and said standing up "I'm fine. I'm so sorry I smashed into you so hard."

She gave her hand to Darcy for support, he took it keenly, stood up and said "It's alright Miss Bennet. I do not suppose you saw me standing there."

When finally he looked at her standing so close to him, he stared at her with wide eyes. She was all red and blushed due to running, covered in sweats wearing a very tight white tunic with short sleeves. It shaped her every curve and he could even see the form of her taut abdomen by the way the fabric was clinging to her body. Darcy forced his eyes away from her figure and stared at a random place right in front of him hoping Lizzie did not notice him looking at her in such ungentlemanly manner.

"I swear I didn't" Lizzie explained. She noticed he was trying not to look at her. She was confused, what was wrong, then she realised he was avoiding to look at her because of her clothes. She rolled her eyes and untied her jacket from her waist and wore it zipping it up high to her neck, just in case.

Darcy looked her wearing her red jacket, smiled nervously and asked "What are you doing here so early in the morning, Miss Bennet? You are not looking for a portal I believe?"

Lizzie still breathing heavily explained "No, no portal hunting today. I just wanted to stretch my leg so decided to have a nice run."

"Run? To stretch your legs?" Darcy asked astonishingly. What person in right mind ran like some wild animal was chasing them to stretch their legs?

"Yeah, it's a good exercise." Lizzie said but seeing the quizzical expression on Darcy's face she clarified, "You know, when you run, it's just your legs and the ground beneath it. You only concentrate on your breathing and are free of all worries. I run to clear my head."

Darcy identified with Lizzie, running was to her what riding was to him. "I understand what you mean Miss Bennet. Dare say I ask what is bothering you so much?" he asked kindly.

Lizzie sighed and said "Just been thinking about my next step. What to do now."

She started walking in the direction of Pemberly and Darcy was by her side, matching her rather fast pace. He asked sympathetically "What have you decided? Please do tell me if I could help you with anything, Miss Bennet, because I certainly want to help you."

Lizzie looked at him for a moment and then said politely "Thank you for your offer Mr. Darcy because there is something I could use your help with."

"Anything at all Miss Bennet. I am here to assist you." Darcy said eagerly.

Lizzie laughed and said "I actually don't need your assistant Mr. Darcy. But I wanted to ask if you know anyone who is good with building things, good with tools and metal work."

Darcy frowned at her answer but recovered himself and suggested "There is a young man who works for me, he repairs and builds if the carriage or any other tools in the stable is broken. I believe he will be able to assist you with your request."

"Oh, thanks a lot Mr. Darcy. That'll be great. I promise I won't take too much of his time and hinder your work. I need only some things from him and I could do the rest." Lizzie said appreciatively.

Darcy glad by her enthusiasm said "It is my pleasure Miss Bennet. I assure you, you can take his help as long as you want. It will not hinder any of my work."

"No, don't worry, I won't overstep my bounds and cause you any trouble" Lizzie promised and asked "What is his name?"

"His name is Philip McAlister. And I am certain he could help you with anything you want to build. I will ask him today to come to your assistance." Darcy said graciously.

"Thanks a lot. That would be wonderful." Lizzie gave him a warm smile and asked again "And I also need a dress Mr. Darcy. I need to go to the town to get some supplies."

Darcy nodded his head and said earnestly "I will ask Mrs. Reynolds to provide you with some of Georgiana's clothes and ask Andrew to prepare a carriage for you."

Lizzie shook her head "No, a carriage won't be necessary. I would rather walk because God knows I need to see more of this place other than the woods."

Darcy smiled and asked "Do you need my assistance to show you the around the town and shops and escort you?" He knew it from before that she would not agree to it, she liked to do her work alone.

"Thank you for the generous offer but that is not necessary. But if you don't mind can Mr. McAlister accompany me instead? I could use his help to find the right people and shops for the things I need." Lizzie said thoughtfully.

"That can be easily arranged. I will ask him right now to escort you when you are ready." Darcy agreed. He was finally happy to help her somehow. Even if he was not doing anything himself but he was making things easier for her in his own small ways.

"That would be great. Thanks a lot Mr. Darcy. I am very grateful for everything." Lizzie said sincerely.

Darcy's heart swelled seeing her warm smile. After so many days they were having a civilized conversation without anyone of them getting angry and furious at each other. He wished things between them were like that all the time, so that he could ask her the questions he was dying to ask all these time.

The morning passed in a whim for Darcy. Lizzie joined him for the breakfast, she was dressed in Georgiana's clothes and it suited her well. She looked like a sophisticated society lady in that dress and she carried it with confidence and grace. Mrs. Reynolds also gave her Georgiana's hat, long red cape and shoes. Lizzie thanked him and Mrs. Reynolds many times for everything and even confessed that she felt like she was dressed for a costume party as Little Red Riding Hood. And when Darcy inquired about the costume party or the Red Riding Hood she heartily explained everything, all the fairy tale he was not familiar with without getting angry once.

He also inquired about the work she had been doing in the woods and she tried to explain him about calculating the Gravity force, latitude, longitude, the velocity of wind, atmospheric pressure and many other environmental factors all that time which will be useful for her to predict the behaviour and occurrence of the portal by analyzing and recreating all the previous factors and variables. Darcy nodded politely but he could not understand half of the things she was explaining to him. Despite that Darcy could not help himself enjoy her company. He found her to be amusing, intelligent, charming and engaging and realized that she had a talent for telling stories. She was so animated and passionate when she started to explain him some fairy tale or a scientific theory he did not know, that he easily got dragged into her world. Her zeal was contagious.

Lizzie finally excused herself from Darcy after couple of hours to finish her work in town. She could sense that Darcy wasn't much of a talker and they never had such long conversations before. Every time they talked earlier, it ended into a bad argument and Lizzie was trying very hard not to roll her eyes at his assumptions of her time and her society. She could tell he wanted to ask many questions and as per their agreement she tried to explain it to him as best as she could. She thought she would lose her cool when she was trying to explain him the fun concept of costume party and he snorted at her. The man could be so arrogant at times but she bit her tongue because she promised not to curse in front of him.

When Lizzie stepped outside, she saw a young boy no more than seventeen year's old waiting for her. He was tall, green eyes, kind face with amused smile on his lips, he was whistling and tapping his foot but stood straight as soon as he saw her. Lizzie knew just having one look at him that she would like him and they would get along very well.

"Good morning Miss Bennet. I am Philip McAlister. Master Darcy said to help you and do whatever you ask from me. I am here to serve you with my life. What can I do for you?" Philip said with a huge grin and a theatrical bow to Lizzie.

Lizzie laughed at his enthusiasm, she was right, she instantly liked the boy. He had this likeable charm about him which no one could resist. She mused "Hmm, the first thing you can do for me Mr. McAlister is address me as Lizzie."

"Only if you call me Philip or Phil if you like me" Philip said with a wink.

"Then Phil it is, because I like you." Lizzie replied and Philip gave a warm smile.

"Where shall I accompany you today, Lizzie?" Philip said offering his arms to her.

"To a jewellery store, Phil" Lizzie said gladly taking his arms and making their way towards the main gate.

"May I ask what you are buying for yourself, Lizzie?" he inquired.

"I'll show you once we are there?" Lizzie said mischievously.

The whole journey to the town flew for Lizzie in Philip's company. He was an engaging young lad, she found a lot about him and his family. His father worked for the Darcy's and when he fell sick, Philip took his place. He used to accompany his father in his work and learned the nooks and corners of the trade from him and now he was doing what he was meant to do, according to his father for two years now.

Philip was also interested to know what Lizzie was doing because all the servants in the Pemberly were aware that she stayed in the woods for many nights and he was very eager to know why. Lizzie explained her story and her pretend background to explain what she was doing. Philip was asking many questions about her work and the place she was from. Lizzie liked the boy, he was intelligent and had thirst to learn. He actually reminded her of herself when she was of that age.

Philip turned out to be very helpful for Lizzie. He knew many people in the town, all the blacksmiths and other people who had the right things she needed. He was a smooth talker and helped her to bargain the things at the right price and also persuaded the shop owners to get the things which they did not possess in few short days which otherwise would take weeks to get.

To show her appreciation Lizzie bought a large cake for him from the bakery and asked him to share it with his friends and young sister he had. On their way back to Pemberly, he would not let her carry anything at all. He expressed his desire to help her with her experiments and Lizzie said he could help her if he had free time after finishing his usual work.

Philip was very grateful to Lizzie, she was kind to him and told him about so many different things he never knew about. He wanted to learn and know more from her and be a part of her experiments. He was little apprehensive about Lizzie first because he had heard many rumours about her wild behaviours from other servants. They said that she was erratic and hit Master Darcy once, she wore strange clothes and talked differently and most of all she did bizarre things in the woods in the middle of the night. But once he talked to her, got to know her, he found her to be friendly, funny, smart and so very peculiar. He had never met anyone who talked and acted like her and the things she knew was so impossible for anyone else to know. But he liked her, liked her a lot and was grateful that Master Darcy chose him to assist her.

Once they were in Pemberly by two in the afternoon, Lizzie asked Philip to put all the things in the barn Darcy had prohibited anyone to go. She assured him that she was allowed to work in there. He apprehensively helped her to place few tables, and tools as per her request and many glass bottle, beakers and containers for her. He also gave her a lamp, oil, coal and many other fuels to create fire because she needed them for her experiments. He promised her that he would quickly finish his work and give his hand in anything she was doing. He wanted to see what she could do with the copper, zinc and few other things she had bought.

While Philip was hurrying to finish his work as soon as possible because he was already behind spending whole morning with Lizzie and also he wanted to help Lizzie afterwards, he did not notice Darcy approaching him.

"Have you helped Miss Bennet with her work, Philip?" Darcy asked the boy.

Philip was startled by his sudden appearance replied "Good afternoon Master Darcy. Yes I had showed all the shops and helped her buy the things she wanted."

Darcy nodded and inquired "What kind of things she required?"

Philip shocked by the question answered honestly "She wanted to buy few chemicals but none of the shops carried such chemicals. They had never heard of some of the names she was telling, Sir. They were asking if she was teasing them by making up such names. She then bought some basic metals like copper, zinc, sulphur and few other random objects like weighing scale, glass beakers, and tubes. To tell you the truth Sir, I was hoping she would be buying some clothes or ribbons. I have no idea what she will do with such things. She wanted few more substances but shops did not have such things with them so she placed an order and asked me to inquire and get it if I was in the town. She is one peculiar person Master Darcy but very intelligent. I have never met anyone like her before."

Darcy agreed to the boy's assumption with a small smile. How true he was saying that about her. He asked nonchalantly "How did Miss Bennet pay for her purchases?"

Philip looked at Darcy apprehensively and replied timidly "She sold one of her lockets to the town's jeweller Master Darcy." He felt like he was betraying Lizzie's trust by saying it to Darcy but he could not hide that fact from him after he explicitly asked him.

"Oh, I see." Darcy said thinking about something and added thoughtfully "Do you know where Miss Bennet is right now?"

Philip panicked, how was he suppose to tell him she was in the barn he prohibited anyone to go. He did not want Lizzie to get into trouble, should he lie to his Master to save her. Darcy gave a stern look to him.

Philip gulped and said hurriedly "Master Darcy, she is working in the barn you asked us not to go. I believe she do not know it is out of bounds. She said she was allowed there. Sir, it is not her fault, I forgot to mention that the place was out of limits." He tried to shift the blame onto himself so he would not get angry at Lizzie.

Darcy smiled at the boy's attempt to save Lizzie "It is alright Philip. Miss Bennet is allowed to work in there. Help her with anything she needs and if she trust you, you can go there too."

Philip gave a genuine smile and said "Yes Master Darcy. She said I could help her if I had free time after finishing my regular work. She is a very nice lady Sir, I like her. She knows so many different things."

Darcy agreed "Very true, Philip. She definitely knows many things. I suggest you finish your work quickly and give Miss Bennet a helping hand if she needs."

Philip respected his Master for his kind nature and said gratefully "Certainly Master Darcy. I will assist her as soon as I am done here."

Darcy nodded to the boy and asked Andrew to arrange the carriage. He had an important business to take care in the town.

After couple of hours Philip quickly finished his work and made his way in the barn. The place looked completely different from before. Lizzie had made quite a few changes there, the place was more illuminated with all the windows open, lamps lighted and had a strange smell. And the table looked like a desk of an Alchemist. It had lots of jars and beakers arranged with tubes, a burner and some kind of transparent liquid simmering in the beaker. He saw Lizzie writing something in her notebook and measuring some substance in the scale very delicately and accurately.

"Lizzie, you have completely transformed this place" Philip said with amazement.

Lizzie looked up from her notebook and said with a smile "I hope it looks better than before."

"Definitely, it does" he agreed and then pointed at the jars on the table "What are you doing?"

"Making Sulphuric acid" she answered.

"Why do you need an acid?" he wondered.

"I need it to do my experiments." Lizzie explained.

"What are you experimenting about?" he asked enthusiastically.

"I'm trying to create electricity." Lizzie said with a smile.

"How are you going to do that?" Philip asked quizzically.

"It's easy. I did the same experiments in my school in fifth grade. But at that time the teacher gave us all the chemicals but now I have to make all the chemicals myself." Lizzie explained.

Philip stared at her with an open mouth, he was completely astonished by Lizzie. He blurted out "You did this in school when you were young?"

"Yes, I did." Lizzie looked at him quizzically and asked "They don't teach you chemistry at your school?"

Philip little taken aback by her question replied "I do not go to school, never been to one either. My mother taught me to read and write."

"Why didn't you go to school?" Lizzie asked with shock.

"The schools are only for the children of aristocrats and rich, Lizzie. Someone like me cannot afford to go there." Philip said disappointedly.

"What? Education is the right of every child. This is preposterous, school charging so much money for children's education. What is with this century?" Lizzie said horrified.

Philip laughed at her reaction and said "Is it not the same for you in America?"

Lizzie recovered herself, she had no idea about the education system of nineteenth century. She said truthfully "Well, the schools at my place are free, only the Universities are expensive. But still you can get scholarships for that."

"You went to University too, Lizzie" he asked with amazement, looking at her in awe.

Lizzie smiled and answered "Yes, I went to a technical University and studied engineering. I'm so grateful that my education is helping me now to solve my problems."

"That is amazing. I have never heard of a women studying engineering" Philip said in wonder.

"Well, many women and people from simple background go to University from the world I'm from. I'm sure you can go to University too Phil, because you are so smart and intelligent and have aptitude for learning." Lizzie encouraged him.

Philip blushed at Lizzie's complement and said "Thank you so much Lizzie, but I cannot."

"Do you want to study and go to University or not Phil?" Lizzie asked.

"I most certainly wish to Lizzie but ...." he said uncomfortably.

Lizzie interrupted him and said positively "Then there are no ifs or buts Phil. We will find a way to make it happen." She patted his back encouragingly and assured him "I'm sure if you ask Mr. Darcy for help, he is rich, he could lend you the money for your education and if he doesn't I'll talk to him."

"Thank you Lizzie, you do not have to do that. I will talk to him and my family myself at an appropriate time." Philip said appreciatively.

"You're welcome Phil and you definitely talk to them. So do you want to learn how this experiment works?" Lizzie asked.

Philip nodded enthusiastically and Lizzie said amusingly "So let's begin your first lecture of Chem 101."

Philip listened to every word Lizzie told him. She explained how she burned sulphur to create sulphur dioxide gas and diluted it in water to create sulphuric acid. Then she showed him how to make zinc sulphate and copper sulphate by mixing the metals they had bought with the acid. Philip was amazed by her deep knowledge of chemicals and she said she only learned it in school many years ago, not in the University.

Lizzie was happy to explain the basic principles of chemistry to Philip, the boy had thirst for knowledge and asked so many questions to her which she happily explained. She even wrote down all the chemical equations and design principles of simple battery on the barn wall to make the idea more clear for him. He helped her with all the experiments and was very intuitive with the chemicals and metals. Lizzie so desperately wanted to help that boy, he had a huge potential and bright future ahead of him and with proper guidance he could easily get into a good University and make something of himself.

Philip saw with wide eyes as Lizzie poured the solution of zinc sulphate and copper sulphate in two different jars. She connected the two jars with a piece of paper covered in cloth dipped in salt water, she called it a salt bridge. Then she finally put two wires into each jar and connected it a small glass bulb she said she removed from her flash light. He had never seen anything like that in his life before.

Philips was completely dumbfounded and shocked out of his mind when Lizzie fully immersed the salt bridge touching the liquids completing the connection of the two solutions in different jars and the spherical glass object she called bulb actually glowed making a bright light.

"Eureka, eureka." Lizzie shouted at the top of her lungs as soon as she saw the bulb of her flashlight lit up. She couldn't believe she finally managed to create electricity. She was so afraid earlier that the metals she got were impure and she would not be able to create the strong enough chemicals and recreate the experiment she once did when she was ten. But thanks to the Almighty Goddess of Science, she was successful.

"How in the Lord's name did you manage to do that Lizzie?" Philip said all astounded.

Lizzie removed the salt bridge, she did not want to spoil all the solution and separated the flashbulb. She was ecstatic and hugged Philip all thrilled. The boy was laughing too, seeing her joy.

"The magic of science my dear friend, the pure magic of science." Lizzie squealed as she hugged him.

"I have never seen anything like this before. What is this thing called and what you will do with the electricity?" Philip asked, he wanted to ask so many things from her.

Lizzie let go of him and got her car battery from one corner she had removed earlier and said joyfully "This is a simple Daniel cell. And with the electricity I'll recharge this bigger battery and use it later to run few things I have and do more experiments." She said showing him her car battery.

Philip saw Lizzie put a large black object on the table and connect both the wires into it. She was overjoyed when she inserted the salt bridge again and saw that it was working.

"God, I'm good. Can't believe its working. The batter is actually recharging." Lizzie said with twinkle in her eyes.

"You are certainly extraordinary Lizzie." Philip said in admiration.

"I couldn't have done this without your help Phil" Lizzie said raising her hands to him.

Philip looked at her raised palm quizzically and raised his eyebrow in question. Lizzie smiled and explained "You're suppose to hit it with your hand. It's called 'High-Five'. It's a sign of camaraderie and success. Something which friends do."

Philip smiled and hit her raised palm enthusiastically and said "Thank you Lizzie. We certainly achieved a great thing today and I have learned a lot from you. I hope we can do more of these experiments."

"Of course we will. We are lab partners now." Lizzie said happily.

"And friends too." Philip added.

"Yes, so let's celebrate our victory Phil." Lizzie said with joy.

"Certainly. What do you want to do?" Philip asked.

"What do you usually do with your friends? Go out on a pub and have some drinks." Lizzie asked.

"Yes, sometimes. Other times we go to the town centre and dance when there is a festival or any event." Philip answered.

"Well, we can't leave the experiment in the middle and go anywhere today. So let's celebrate our great success with chocolate for right now." Lizzie said rummaging through her bags and finding a large bar of chocolate.

She broke it into few pieces and offered it to Philip. He took it and asked "What is this Lizzie?" He had never seen anything like before, something covered in shiny paper.

"It's heaven on earth. Just try it and you'll know I'm telling the truth." Lizzie said mischievously sitting on the other table, taking a bite of her own piece of chocolate.

Philip smiled and tasted it and said "Hmm, I have to say, it does taste divine."

"I told you so." She replied humorously.

"Excuse me Miss Bennet...." both Lizzie and Philip turned hearing the voice and looked at the door.

Lizzie jumped from the table and said "Hey Anne, want to try some chocolate. I swear it's good." And handed Anne one piece.

She took it apprehensive and looked at Philip. He said amusingly "Trust me Anne, Lizzie is telling the truth. It is heavenly."

Anne glared at Philip angrily and said "What are you doing here Philip? Master Darcy said no one is allowed here. And why are you being disrespectful to Miss Bennet calling her Lizzie."

Philip smiled teasingly and said with pride "Lizzie and I are lab partners and she asked me to help her with her experiments. Master Darcy knows about it already. You can ask him if you believe I am lying. And I am calling Lizzie by her name because we are friends and she asked me too."

"Yes, that is true Anne. I've also asked you to call me Lizzie too." Lizzie defended Philip.

"But you are too scared to do that. Are you not?" Philip teased her.

Anne growled at him and said "No I am not, I call her Lizzie when we are alone, but not in front of anyone else. Unlike you, I do respect her."

"Ohh, really...." Philip said mockingly taking a step closer to her.

Lizzie rolled her eyes at Philip and said "Did you want to ask me something Anne?" trying to distract them.

Anne gave a final angry glare at Philip and said kindly to her "Master Darcy was inquiring when you will be ready to join him for the supper."

"Oh, could you please apologise to Mr. Darcy from my behalf Anne. I can't stop my experiments in the middle and leave the barn to have the dinner." Lizzie explained.

Anne looked at her sympathetically and said "You should not miss your supper Lizzie. I shall bring you your food here and convey your message to Master Darcy."

"You're a darling Anne" Lizzie said hugging the young girl. She really did care for her a lot.

Anne blushed and said small thank you. Lizzie asked her nicely "Anne, could you please get the food for two people, for Phil too?"

"Could you, Anne?" Philip pleaded with a mocking smile.

Anne glared furiously at him and then looked at Lizzie and said "Certainly Lizzie. I will see what I can do."

"Thanks Anne you are a sweetheart." Lizzie said as Anne left the barn giving a final warning glare at Philip, who was smiling at her.

Lizzie looked at Philip, the way he was looking at Anne, teasing her, smiling at her and sighed when she left. It was so obvious to her.

"So, how long you've been fancying her?" she asked Philip raising one of her eyebrows.

Philip was completely taken aback by her question. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair and replied hastily "I do not fancy her. Not at all Lizzie."

"Ohh really!" she said the same thing he had said before.

Philip started to shift the jars on the table avoiding Lizzie's intense gaze. She smiled and feigned a sigh "Too bad then. I think Anne is an amazing girl. You two would have been a cute couple. Maybe she could find someone else."

Philip stared at her and said softly "You really think we could be good together."

"Yes, I most certainly know it in my heart." Lizzie said adoringly.

"But I do not believe she likes me." He voiced his doubt solemnly.

"That can be easily fixed. Don't worry Phil, I'll help you with that." Lizzie assured him.

"Oh, Lizzie, you have no idea what would that mean to me." Philip said his eyes all lit up.

Lizzie smiled confidently at him to show him it was possible and she would definitely help him. She loved seeing people in love. At that time she missed Chris so much, she wanted to be with him, held him in her arms. So what if she was not with Chris at that time, she could at least help a young couple to find love.

Anne didn't bring the food herself but send it by the hands of another maid. Lizzie spent the whole evening talking and teasing Philip. He finally opened up to Lizzie and told his tale about meeting Anne for the first time at Pemberly. She listened intently to him, giving him suggestions and clearing his doubts about the psyche of woman. Finally at ten at night she said good bye to Philip after fully recharging her battery and finishing her experiments. She stored the remaining chemicals in the barn into a nearby cupboard and took the battery with her. She was so happy realizing that finally she would be able to charge her laptop and do some real work to find her way back home.

* * *

_I tried to write a really long chapter to compensate for my long absence and hastened my time line. Hope you guys like it. I'll try to update soon._

_Happy reading :)_


	10. Chapter 10

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

_Thank you everyone for reading my story and putting it in your story and favourite alerts._

_Many thanks to **tinababy1, Eloise, geril, honuangel,Fire Dolphin, noukinav018, Marivan, Irene Blake and HazieRox**. You guys are absolutely fabulous. I cannot thank you enough for your love and support and you guys give me so many new idea. I realy appreciate it._

_Please keep your love and support coming._

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Darcy was working in the library, finishing his correspondence, when suddenly he heard a knock on the door and he asked the person to come in. Like a fool he was hoping Lizzie would be out there, wanting to see him, talk to him. After the breakfast four days ago, he had not seen her, she was working constantly on some project and instead of him she asked for Philip's help. Well he cannot get angry at her because she did promise to stay out of his way but it would not kill her to keep him informed about her progress.

He hid his disappointment really well when instead of Lizzie, Mrs. Reynolds entered the room. He smiled and nodded politely so she could say whatever was in her mind because she looked thoughtful and distressed at the same time. Was there any trouble in the household or the servants because she was the one who took care of most of such issues?

"Master Darcy, if you are not busy at the moment then I need to discuss an important matter with you?" Mrs. Reynolds asked softly.

"Of course Mrs. Reynolds, is there any trouble with the household?" He asked kindly unable to understand what the sudden crisis was.

"Yes, everything is very well with the household." She explained hastily.

Darcy gave a long look to ask what the real problem was. Mrs. Reynolds hesitated for a moment and then said "It is about Miss Bennet."

"Oh!" was the only thing he could say at that moment.

He clearly knew Mrs. Reynolds knew there was something more going on with her, something other than the story they had made up. She had asked about her many times before but he gave a small reply and didn't discuss more. Today was going to be the same day and he had to lie to her again. He hated lying to anyone especially to her.

"What is the trouble with her this time?" Darcy asked exasperatingly.

Mrs. Reynolds did not look too pleased with his tone. She said sharply, the pitch she didn't use with him too often, more like a tone a mother would use with a child "I believe Miss Bennet is from a different society where the things she does, the manner she talks and clothes she wears is acceptable."

Darcy leaned back in his chair and gave a small smile, didn't they have the same conversation few days ago but he didn't say anything, waited patiently for her to finish.

"But now she is teaching her wired behaviours, manners, believes and principles of her society to innocent people working in Pemberly" she finished sharply.

"What horrifying things is she teaching to all the innocent people of Pemberly?" Darcy could not help chuckle when he uttered those words.

For a second he could swear that Mrs. Reynolds wanted to roll her eyes like Lizzie did so many times. Did she teach that to Mrs. Reynolds, rolling her eyes and sarcasm? Was that the reason she was so furious, all the servants of Pemberly were rolling their eyes at her?

Mrs. Reynolds took a deep breath and instead of the sharp tone she used earlier, she used her patient voice and said "She was asking all the servants about their living condition and what help and benefits they were receiving from their employer, from you."

She looked at Darcy who was silent so she continued "She was having an assembly in the kitchen yesterday and was explaining the 'Labours Rights' to everyone. She was telling how in her society every employee is entitled for a month vacation, fixed hours of working, medical benefits, extra pay for overtime and Lord knows what else. And if people are unhappy with their working condition they should talk to their employer and protest if they don't listen to the issues."

"She was saying that?" Darcy asked sitting up stiffly and leaning forward from his resting position.

Mrs. Reynolds happy by his reaction said little agitatedly "Yes and I have no notion what she said to Philip and Anne, they follow her every word blindly. Anne was telling me few moments ago that Philip is helping her to organize meetings with other servants and workers from nearby property and Lambton to create a 'Labour Union' so that there is someone to fight the injustice and stand for their rights."

Mrs. Reynolds watched Darcy deep in his thoughts, his eyes closed, his lips tightly shut and fingers of his hands lightly touching. She said strongly "When I heard that I thought I should inform you about her actions that she is encouraging everyone to rebel against you and anyone who _she_ think is oppressing innocent people."

"I need to talk to her right at this moment." Darcy said powerfully.

Mrs. Reynolds was satisfied hearing the anger and force in his voice. It wasn't like she hated Lizzie but she was asking everyone to give up everything and revolt against Darcy, just because she thought the principles of her society were much better than the one she was living in currently. Mrs. Reynolds could not see Darcy in trouble and she would do anything to stop whoever was going to cause difficulty for him because she was loyal and faithful to him.

"Do you know where she is right now?" He asked standing up with a jerk.

"I believe she is working in the barn where she works all the time." She answered.

"Thank you Mrs. Reynolds for bringing my notice to this issue." He said curtly and made his way to the barn all furious.

Darcy could not believe what Lizzie was up to, fowl mouthing him in front of his own people in his own house. He felt betrayed and deceived by her after everything he had done for her. The will of that girl, who did she think she was? He should have just thrown her out of his house when he had the chance.

He felt so much pain by her betrayal, he had made sure his every tenant, his every employee are content, taken care of, as his father had told him, taught him. But this woman with her twenty first century ideals didn't see any good in anyone. What was wrong with her world, was everyone so sceptic and cynic of good intentions. They had to create a Union for wellbeing of people, was trust all but lost concept in her world. He remembered their first encounter, how she thought he was going to hurt her, she didn't trust him even though he was helping her. There seriously was something wrong with her.

He stood outside the barn gate. Lizzie and Philip were talking humorously, not working but joking with each other. And she was wearing her trouser, tunic and jacket in front of Philip. Didn't she agree earlier that she would wear a proper dress in front of people?

"..... I can't believe you said that to her, you are awful" Lizzie said indignantly, throwing a small piece of chalk at Philip humorously.

Philip ducked down just in time and avoided the blow coming in his direction and said with a chuckle "What else was I supposed to do? She would not talk to me more than a word unless I make her angry. She avoids me all the time." He added the last past gravely.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and said with a sigh "Boys!"

She gave a long look at him and said with a smile "You idiot, teasing a girl and making her angry to get her attention is not the best way to make her like you. It'll only make her hate you even more."

"What else should I do then?" Philip asked irritatingly.

"Hello! Ever heard of flowers?" She said sarcastically.

Philip gave her a confused look, Lizzie walked towards him and ruffled his hair playfully and said "You have any idea how much work we have to do to change her mind about you. Thank God I'm here because you are completely stupid when it comes to girls. Use your brain the same way you use it in science once in a while Phil" She mocked him.

Philip smiled and asked "You tell me then, what should I do now?"

Darcy could not believe what he was hearing, she was advising Philip to court a woman. What was with that woman, she was helping a young boy to get his love one time and then other time she was asking his servants to revolt against him. He cleared his throat strongly to make his presence notice. They both looked at him at the same time.

Philip jumped away from Lizzie and said politely "Good afternoon Master Darcy."

Lizzie gave him a polite smile and said the same thing. Darcy nodded curtly and said impatiently "Miss Bennet I need to talk to you right now."

Philip sensed the tone of Darcy's voice, looked apprehensively at Lizzie and then said quietly "I should finish my work in stable" and left.

Lizzie said goodbye to Philip and asked him to see her later. She turned to Darcy and said with a small smile "What's up Mr. Darcy? Is something wrong?"

"You enlighten me with that Miss Bennet? Is something wrong?" Darcy asked edgily, now she was acting innocent in front of him.

"What?" Lizzie asked all confused.

"Please Miss Bennet, do not insult either of our intelligence by acting like you do not know what I mean?" Darcy said arrogantly.

Lizzie not liking Darcy's tone at all but still trying to control her temper said annoyingly "What in the world are you talking about?"

"You do not know what I am talking about?" He asked furiously.

"I'm not a bloody mind reader or a psychic, am I? I didn't get a premonition or a dream saying this is what Mr. Darcy will come and talk to you in a barn either. And I definitely didn't get a memo from you saying your problem with me. So obviously I don't know what the hell you are talking about." Lizzie said sarcastically taking a deep breath after her long cynical speech.

Darcy was beyond furious listening to her remark. Why that woman behaved so rudely with him, after he had been nothing but helpful and supportive to her, was past his understanding.

Lizzie saw Darcy staring at her like he would rip her apart by his own hands, he was further past the angry self she had seen him earlier, he was more like in murderous warpath mode. She strained her mind thinking what she did to make him so furious at her, make him act like a raging hulk who would soon burst out of his clothes and turn into a giant green monster.

"Aren't you the one who is manipulating and ruining the mind of my servants against me? Aren't you the one who is convincing them that I'm treating them badly and they should rebel against me? Aren't you the one who is forming this secret Labour Union against me?" Darcy said frustratingly, clenching his fist on his side with every word. His knuckles went all white with the amount of force he was using to control himself, to not just attack someone right then and there.

Lizzie finally understood what he meant and said "Oh that thing?" with a sigh of relief.

"Yes, that thing Miss Bennet. You are turning my people against me by forming a Union." Darcy said angrily, why she was acting like that it did not matter, like it was not a big issue.

Lizzie rolled her eyes at his whole outlook of the situation and said with a small laugh "Seriously Mr. Darcy, the universe doesn't revolve around you. Everything in this world is not about you. There is a limit of someone being arrogant and self centred, people can overlook, but not this. Just get over yourself."

"What?" Darcy shouted on top his lungs. That infuriating woman standing and smiling in front of him thought that he was arrogant and self-centred.

"You heard me, get over yourself. The way you are acting right now is beyond irritating, it's plain tyranny." She said matching his death glare.

He cannot believe what was coming out of her mouth, if only he ever could hurt a women, she would be the first.

"That is what I am referring to, you are telling my people that I am a cruel tyrant" he said angrily staring at her, trying to break her will, her stubbornness and most of all to intimidate her.

"Who told you that?" Lizzie asked frustratingly.

"It does not matter who told me. Are you saying this is all a lie? You are not planning to create a Labour Union?" He asked.

"My answer is yes and no" Lizzie said exasperatingly.

Darcy gave her a confused look not understanding her reply.

Lizzie threw her arms in the air, took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could mange herself to be at that moment. "Yes, I'm planning to create a Labour Union. And no, I never called you a cruel tyrant in front of your people or anyone else for that matter."

Darcy said angrily "But I heard that ...."

Lizzie cut him in the middle and said "Then you heard wrong."

"What are you implying then?" he asked irritatingly.

"I'm implying that instead of getting your information second hand from some random person who knows nothing you should have come to me to clear things out, before you started shouting at me like I have committed a murder." Lizzie said frustratingly trying desperately to calm herself down.

"But you never talk to me or tell me anything" he finally said what he wanted to say from the moment he had met her. He was trying so hard but she never trusted him or told him about her plans and idea. How much he wished he could earn her trust.

Lizzie sighed and said "I'm sorry. I should have come to you first with my ideas. It was my mistake that I didn't tell you anything."

Darcy was taken aback by her sudden admittance of her mistake, how was he supposed to get angry at her now. She was furious at him a moment ago but now she was apologising. His temper calmed down a little bit too and said stiffly "You can tell me everything now."

"Alright, only if you keep an open mind about it and not jump on me to rip my throat apart all furious like a second ago" Lizzie said strongly.

Darcy felt embarrassed by her remark, he was acting like a wolf ready to jump at her, rip her throat out. He said uncomfortably "I apologise the way I shouted earlier."

Lizzie nodded accepting his apology and waited for him to agree to her terms.

After few moments Darcy said lightly using her own words against her "I will try my best but cannot make any promises."

Lizzie smiled and rolled her eyes at his retort, using her lines against her to shut her up. The man could be amusing when he wanted to be.

Lizzie began calmly "Ok, do you have any idea how many things are wrong in this time."

Darcy said impatiently "Miss Bennet, you always think that everything is wrong with this time and your time is perfect."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and said frustratingly "Seriously Mr. Darcy? Is this an open mind?"

Darcy raised his hands frustratingly and finally sighed and gave up "Please continue, I am listening."

Lizzie gave him a long and hard look, nodded and said "I never said that everything is wrong with this time and no one knows better than me that my time is not perfect. It is chaotic, crazy, frustrating, you name it and that's what my world is, just like me" she said the last part with a laugh. Darcy smiled at her joke too.

She grinned and continued "But that doesn't mean that some things in my time are not better than here. I'm only trying to bring the good things from twenty first century into this world. That includes human rights, labour rights, women rights, animal rights and all that politically correct issues."

Darcy nodded at her comment understanding what she meant.

"The reason why I wanted to create a Labour Union is ..." she was saying.

But Darcy said impatiently unable to stop himself "Because you think I'm arrogant self centred controlling oppressor."

Lizzie laughed at his answer and shook her head "Again, not everything in this world is about you. But half of what you said about yourself is true though."

Darcy furiously opened his mouth again to argue but Lizzie raised her hand to stop him and said "Please let me finish Mr. Darcy."

Darcy shut his mouth, crossed his arms around his chest and nodded angrily. Lizzie chuckled and continued "I talked to everyone working in the Pemberly about their working condition and their life in general. And I have to admire either your organization skills or your terrorizing skills because not a single person made a compliant."

Lizzie rolled her eyes when Darcy didn't laugh at her joke. She continued "Well, every single person is happy working for you and think you are kind to them and help them in trouble. So all in all the verdict is, you are a good boss." Lizzie said with a small salute at the last part.

Darcy gave her a questioning look and asked "Then why are you creating the Union?"

Lizzie sighed and said "I'm not creating it to use it against you. I'm creating it because the people of Pemberly are happy 'cause you are a good boss but other people might not be that lucky. So I want the people working here to join the Union as an example, they could show to everyone else what a good boss should be like, how he should help them, just like you. I'm using your image as an ideal employer as a marketing strategy. It will be a big motivating factor for other people. Don't you think so?" Lizzie asked him, giving him an evaluating look, not at all sure by seeing his expression if he was pleased or angry.

Darcy was dumbfounded by her explanation, she thought he was an ideal employer and wanted to show him as an example. That is the best compliment he had heard from her mouth ever. All the other time she was making fun of him, humiliating him, telling him how he was arrogant, controlling, self absorbed. Should he be happy because she thought he was good?

Finally he nodded and agreed "I believe you are correct for thinking about other people's welfare." He could not believe she was so sleek and smart and yet so selfless and good.

"Great" Lizzie said clapping her hands excitedly. Darcy only smiled at her enthusiasm.

"So, let's talk about policies." She proposed.

"What kind of policies?" Darcy asked.

"Well, people in this time don't have pension plans, medical insurance and on top of that schools and hospitals are not free. Things are very difficult for a normal people in this time without government support." She explained with concern.

"What can we do to improve those conditions?" Darcy asked gently.

"Well, I'm already writing to the King and the Governing bodies complaining about the school and hospital situation and ..." Lizzie stated.

"You are writing letters to the King?" Darcy interrupted her in the middle all horrified by her abrupt actions.

Lizzie looked at him puzzled and answered "Yes I am. He is the most powerful person in England. Isn't he?"

"Yes, he is. But why you have to write to him." Darcy asked annoyingly.

Lizzie rolled her eyes "Because he is the most powerful person in England so he is the one who makes policies. I'm thinking of collecting signatures for the petitions as well. Too bad I can't go to news channels to complain about these terrible situations, but I did write to the newspaper editors. And I'll write to them every day if I had to, just to get their attention" Lizzie added thoughtfully.

"Why are you taking such erratic steps?" Darcy asked all confused.

"That's what we do in my time. If you want something to change you have to do it yourself, you cannot wait for someone else to do it for you. You have to hit hard at the top, get media's attention and pressurize the Government by involving common people." Lizzie explained her actions not at all liking the way Darcy was looking at her.

Darcy was completely stunned by her reasoning. Lord, was there anything that woman could not do. He asked quietly "Why are you doing all these things Miss Bennet? You are not responsible for anyone here."

He wanted to know the reasons behind her actions. Was not she all anxious to go back to her world? Then why she was doing all these things here, taking unnecessary responsibilities and provoking Kings and Lord knows who else by her actions.

Lizzie said distastefully "How selfish do you think I am? As long as I'm here I'd better make the best use of my time and change whatever is wrong with this damn world. Maybe that's why I'm thrown here, to make it a better place. Universe works in mysterious ways Mr. Darcy." She added the last part raising her brows in mischief and a small chuckle.

Darcy could not believe her answer. She was determined to change the whole world, everything that is wrong with it. She was a mere human, a woman on top of that. How was she going to do that? But it looked like she was strong minded and believed she could do it. He could not help himself admire her willingness, however crazy it sounded. She had the same fire in her eyes as he had seen that morning on top of the hill on her first day in his world. She was determined to find her way back to her world, maybe she would succeed to do it too.

Darcy nodded his head and said with determination "Then I will help you with your work anyway possible."

Lizzie smiled and assured him "Trust me the policy I'm suggesting is very simple. You only need to deduct small percentage of the wages and keep it safely as pension and insurance. I'll teach you the tricks for sound investment to increase the money so that at the end of the day every one is a winner. It'll benefit you too, you'll not regret doing this. I promise you."

Darcy smiled, for no valid reason he believed her every word, he did trust her. He knew she was capable, she was smart and unselfish. She wanted to benefit other people and him too. She was right to say that she could teach him of so many new things which will make his life better. She did have many useful skills. He wished so badly that she would stay in his time forever.

Lizzie for all part of that day didn't do any work of her own but explained her ideas and theory to Darcy. She was extremely surprised that few hours ago he was furious at her, almost ready to kill her. But later he was open to her every idea, he was willingly accepting everything and made few good suggestions himself. He skilfully showed her, her mistakes and limitation of the plans.

Lizzie was also stunned to find he had a deep legal knowledge of everything. He definitely wanted to help her with her political and social agenda. His knowledge and awareness of his world was incredibly helpful. If only he wasn't so arrogant and pompous they could have been friends.

Darcy was incredibly pleased with himself when after the barn incident, Lizzie and he did not have a single argument. She was engaging and thought provoking as always and was finally listening to what he had to say. He had never conversed with one person in one day so much and enjoyed it above that.

Even on the dinner table she joined him and they had a small and friendly argument about the child labour. She was strongly against any child younger than sixteen working and he was trying to explain that parents at that time had to take the help of their young children in the farming and other works to teach them the necessary skills as they were not learning it from the schools.

What he loved the most was watching her expression when he invited her to join him in the Pemberly library. She was actually gagging herself by putting her fist in her mouth to stop herself from shouting with excitement by seeing the sheer size of the library and number of books. She confessed books were her biggest love and library her one of the most favourite place in the world. She was actually regretting to not found that library earlier. He smiled when she frowned saying that she missed so much time she could have spent in the library with those books.

Darcy was more pleased to realize that if she enjoyed books so much, she would spend more of her time in the library, he could accompany her there and spend more time with her. She was being pleasant to him and he was not losing his patience with her too. He wanted things between them would stay like that, so he could enjoy his time with her and she would finally trust him.

He could not help himself from thinking what she said to Philip earlier that day. He was doing the same thing as Philip, he was unnecessarily making her angry, picking fights with her to get her attention, because she only talked to him more than few sentences when they were fighting and arguing with each other. He also remembered the thing she said that for a boy to make a girl like her, he should not tease or fight with her, it would only make her hate him. He had to be more amiable and understanding with her, keep his anger in check and stop being arrogant and self absorbed as she put so bluntly earlier, if he wanted her to like him. And from now on he would do exactly the same thing.

Since that day Lizzie joined Darcy everyday for breakfast but not for lunch or supper, those times she spent with Philip. Darcy could not believe he could ever be envious of a young lad who was working for him as a stable hand. What had happened to him and what that woman was doing to him? But he was pleased that she joined him in the library once in a while and discussed her ideas and heartily accepted any input Darcy provided her, he found that she was very organized and placed extreme attentions to every single details. She was a perfectionist and demanded the best from everything and everyone like him.

The next Sunday Darcy was hoping she would join him for the morning sermon but she did not. Darcy figured religion was not important to her and in her time, he smiled remembering the way she was cursing the Lord's name. When he reached Pemberly late morning he first went into the barn, Philip was not working that day so he hoped she would let him help her with the experiments she was doing all those time there. But the barn was empty and there was no sign of her in the house as well.

Darcy asked Mrs. Reynolds but she had no notion where she was, he also asked Anne and she informed him that she saw her walking in the direction of woods few hours ago. He made his way towards the woods too. Did she find a portal so soon? Was she going to leave him?

After walking for fifteen minutes, he was standing near the lake where her car crashed that fateful day, he was looking for the marks she had made on trees to find the trail, but instead he saw something red on one side of the lake.

Darcy made his way to that part of the lake and finally saw her. Lizzie was casually sitting under a large tree wearing her bright red jacket, she was leaning her back on the tree trunk and her legs were stretched on the grass, she was wearing a blue beret cap, crookedly placed on her head making her look adorable like a child and an olive green scarf on her neck. He really liked watching her so relaxed with a small smile in her lips working amusingly on a small case like white object. He silently walked towards her, not making any noise, watching her intently. When he was closer to her, few feet away from her he heard her humming some song, she had a sweet voice but he could not understand what she was singing, a small white wire like object was securely placed in her ears. He knew he could just stand there and observe her like that for hours.

Lizzie was in good mood today for no apparent reason, well the reason was that it was a bright and good day, spring was around the corner and the cold was receding. And instead of working in the dark and cold barn she decided to do her work in the open bright ground instead, she started to walk with no destination in mind and somehow ended up at that place. It had the most amazing view, a large and beautiful lake in front, hill on one side and larger green field on the other side. She plopped happily under a tree, enjoying the scene and listening to her favourite band and working on her laptop feeling the sunshine on her face.

Suddenly she felt a shadow fall on the laptop screen from behind her back, she screeched in surprise, shut the screen of laptop, took her iPod out of her ears and pushed it in a bag next to her. She was scared some strange man strolling in those woods saw her laptop and other gadgets, how in the world she would explain the existence of such things to a person from nineteenth century?

Darcy saw Lizzie lying under the tree for a second and out of a blue heard her scream and hide the object she was working on a bag. She didn't even turn around to look at him, what could have scared her all of a sudden maybe it was him who frightened her like that.

"Miss Bennet, It is only me" Darcy said trying to calm her down.

Lizzie turned around, looked at him, sighed and placed her hand on her chest and said "Mr. Darcy, please don't sneak up like a ghost on me."

Darcy awkwardly shifted his weight on his other leg and said gently "I am sorry. My intention was never to fright you."

"It's alright. God, you always sneak up on me like a cat. You need a bell on your neck." Lizzie said with an amusing smile.

Darcy was not at all amused by her joke and looked stiffly at her and said "I do not sneak up on you. I was walking here and saw you, so I came to talk to you."

"People don't understand a joke in this century or what? Where is your sense of humour?" Lizzie said rolling her eyes.

Darcy ignored her remark and asked "What are you doing here?"

Lizzie finally relaxed and took the laptop out of her bag and said with a small smile "It's a good day so I thought I should work outside and enjoy some sunshine."

Darcy smiled and said "What is that thing Miss Bennet?" nodding at the white object.

Lizzie chuckled and slapped the grass next to her and said "Sit down, I'll show it to you."

Darcy took the place next to her enthusiastically, Lizzie slid closer to him. He could smell her hair and her perfume when a gentle breeze came from her direction when she came near him. He took a deep breath to savour her scent, it was intoxicating.

Lizzie placed the object half on her lap and half on his and explained "This is a laptop, a computer. Go, on touch it" She encouraged him.

Darcy gently touched the metal like object but it didn't felt hard and cold as metal. It had a white, shine and had a glass like structure vertically erected and many small keys with alphabets and numbers written on it. He looked hesitantly at Lizzie but she smiled and nodded in encouragement and he lifted it in his hands, it was so light and small. He pressed few keys and it felt so strange and bizarre that he could not describe what he felt, because he had never seen and touched anything like that in his life.

"What does this laptop do? How does it work?" he asked with awe.

Lizzie grinned looking at his face, he was staring at the laptop like a small child "The question is what it cannot do, because you can do everything in it. As far as how does it work, it had small electrical chips and circuits inside which make it do any mathematical calculation."

"Come on, let me show you." Lizzie turned the laptop on and let him stare at the screen which turned into life, she heard him gasp at the wallpaper of space and galaxy.

"I have never seen such extraordinary object in my life" Darcy said with wonder. He was actually grinning looking at the beautiful image on the glass screen, it was perfect.

Darcy bombarded Lizzie with thousands of questions and she explained everything patiently to him. She even showed him how to type any documents, listen to music and view any picture or video. He had no idea that you can listen to music without playing any instrument and view a picture without drawing it or keeping it in a frame. The whole concept of videos and camera, a small dot like structure on the glass screen was mindboggling for him.

He thought he would scream his heart out when she turned the camera on and showed him his own face on the glass screen in front of him. How was anyone supposed to believe the thing she was showing to him, it felt like a dream, a dream where everything was possible? You can capture the picture, soul of a person into a small object and show it other people later.

What was the most bizarre of all the things one could do with that instrument was when Lizzie showed to play games on that small thing. What was that about? Do the people in her time not play as one is supposed to play on a field, on grounds with their friends, with dolls and toys? How was one going to interact with other children, enjoy with friends with that small device.

Lizzie finally said with a sigh "Mr. Darcy if you'll ask any more questions, your brain will overflow and explode with information overload."

Darcy did not want to stop right then but he was interrogating her for the past two hours, but his curiosity was not over just yet. How was one supposed to stop after seeing such things?

Lizzie gave him an amusing look and said "We'll continue with your lessons of twenty first century tomorrow. What do you reckon?"

"Certainly" Darcy could not stop himself from grinning.

Lizzie laughed at his enthusiasm and said with a wicked grin taking something out of the bag "Mr. Darcy, you have helped me so much with everything. As a thank you, I want you to have this, it's a gift. Do you remember this?"

Darcy eye's were wide open, did she really was giving him that to keep. He said awestricken "Of course Miss Bennet, it is a phone you showed me the first day."

"You remembered" Lizzie beamed.

Darcy smiled and asked awkwardly "I cannot keep this device Miss Bennet. It is yours and it must be very expensive and I do not know how to use it."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and said "It's a gift Mr. Darcy and you have to accept it. I'm not taking no for an answer. And don't worry about the price, I have insurance, I'll go back home and buy a new one. And it's not too difficult to use, even a three year old kid can use it. Come on, I'll teach you how to use it."

Darcy saw Lizzie placing that phone in front of his face and heard a small click noise and then showed him the picture of his own face "See, you just have to click this button and you can take a picture."

Darcy was completely dumbfounded, how was that even possible. She forwarded him the phone, and looked expectantly at him. He finally sighed and accepted it, how could he say no to her gift. Now he will have something of her, something which will connect her to him all the time, a memento. He lifted it up the same way as her and gave her a confused look. Lizzie sat up on her knees and came next to him, stood little behind him.

He shivered a little when she touched his hand by which he was holding the phone. She gently placed his fingers on the button and pushed his fingers which in turn pushed the button. Darcy saw the small screen of the phone and there was a beautiful image of the lake on it. He grinned and looked at Lizzie, she was smiling at him too, still holding her hands, she did not look uncomfortable by the touch.

She said raising her brow "See, piece of cake."

Darcy let go of a deep breath as soon as she removed her hands from his, he did not remember holding his breath in the first place when she touched him. Why was he feeling light in his stomach, was he getting sick or was that butterflies which poets describe.

"Well, you can do everything with it other than what it is built for, to make phone calls. What an irony?" Lizzie said with a chuckle.

Darcy smiled too and asked awkwardly "May I take a picture of you?"

Lizzie looked at him and said making a gun with her fingers with a small "Of course, just point and shoot" and made the gesture of shooting the gun and blew at her fingers as if blowing the imaginary smoke with a laugh.

Darcy took a picture of her at that very moment, her face with amused expression, laughter in her lips and twinkle in her eyes. He will treasure that particular image forever.

She also taught him what other things he could use that phone for in the next hour. She was right, it was easy to use. He was surprised to know that a small device lighter than a rock, so small that one can hide it in a palm and yet one could do so many things with it, most of the things which one could do with the laptop she showed earlier. Write documents, put reminders, use it as organizer, take videos and pictures, record voices, and listen to music. It was like a magic box. And she gave it to him as a gift, he was so grateful.

Finally Lizzie said with a smile "Alright Mr. Darcy I showed you everything about the phone. Now you go on and play with your toy" she added the last part with a mischievous wink.

Darcy frowned, did she want him to leave now? She did not want his company anymore? He said lightly "I will stay here for a while, what if I have more questions about this."

Lizzie took her previous seat under the tree and said "Ok, if the phone shows low battery or turns off all of a sudden, don't panic. Just bring it back to me, I'll recharge it for you."

Darcy nodded taking his own place little far away, opposite to her. She went back to her work again, typing something rapidly on her laptop, all engrossed in her work. Even though he was holding the most extraordinary piece of device in his palms, and she showed him so many different things to do with it, he could not focus on the phone. He was unable to play with it as she had joked earlier, his attention was fixed on Lizzie sitting in front of him. He was unable to remove his eyes away from her, her small smile, her pretty face and her amused expression.

After fifteen minutes of comfortable silence Darcy heard Lizzie's voice taking him out of his deep oblivion. He shook his head lightly not realizing he was staring at her like that again.

"Is there something on my face?" Lizzie asked wiping her face with her hands.

Darcy gave her a confused look, what was she asking, there was nothing on her face.

"Or is there something stuck on my teeth?" Lizzie asked again running her tongue over her teeth.

"What?" Darcy asked all puzzled, not understanding what she wanted to know.

"Oh my God, there is a bug in my hair, isn't it?" Lizzie said horrified, taking off her cap and running her fingers in her hair tilting her head on a side and shaking it vigorously.

Darcy stood and came near her to calm her down. He said gently "No, Miss Bennet, there is no bug in your hair and there is nothing on your face or teeth either."

Lizzie relaxed and said embarrassingly "Oh, good to know."

Darcy asked amusingly "Why would you presume something like that?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes and said "You were staring intently at my face for the past fifteen minutes with a small smile. I thought there has to be something comically wrong with it if you found my face so funny and amusing."

Lord, she noticed that. Darcy was thoroughly embarrassed listening to her reply. What was he supposed to say to that? He cleared his throat awkwardly and said "I was not staring at you face, I was only watching you work."

Lizzie said with a chuckle "Nobody told you, staring like that at someone is rude. If you wanted to work on my laptop you should have just said so, no need to creep me out by watching me like that."

Darcy was mortified hearing her retort. He definitely made her uncomfortable by gawking at her like a lunatic. What was wrong with him?

Lizzie watched Darcy who was suddenly very uncomfortable around her. She smirked and said lightly "Well, the battery of my laptop is almost over. I'll recharge it and give it to you after few hours. You can play with it as long as you like."

Darcy shook his head and said hastily "That is not necessary, you should finish your work first."

"Alright, whatever you say" Lizzie said packing her things. The battery was low and also she was hungry, she didn't realize she missed the lunch answering all of Darcy's questions and in few hours it would be time for the supper.

Darcy saw her packing her things, she was ready to go to Pemberly. He wanted to go back too, suddenly he was very conscious around he. She so bluntly put her thoughts in front of him. And never hesitated to point out his mistakes and whatever undignified things he was doing. What she must be thinking about him, he was mortified by that thought.

The day suddenly became windy, the weather of England. Darcy was waiting for Lizzie, she put her cap over her head and was just putting her bag over her shoulder and all of a sudden he heard her curse "Damn, not you."

He turned around abruptly, what had he done now to make her curse like that. Instead he saw her running towards the lake, she was chasing the green scarf she was wearing. It must have blown out in the strong winds. She jumped high on the boundary of the lake but missed the edge of the scarf by just centimetres and it blew higher.

Lizzie angrily stomped her feet as she watched her scarf finally landing in the middle of the lake, resting on the water, waving with the currents caused by wind going farther and farther.

Darcy was completely astonished when he saw her putting her bag down, taking off her jacket, cap and shoes and jumping into the ice cold water of the lake without any hesitation, without a second thought.

Was that woman gone completely insane? The water of the lake melted only a month ago, it still was very cold. What was she thinking jumping into the water like that? It was only a scarf, nothing to get sick and die over. He would have bought her dozens of scarf if she had said once, why was she jumping into the water. Does she want to get a fever?

"Miss Bennet, what are you doing?" Darcy shouted as he saw her taking long strokes, swimming farther and farther into the lake. Finally she was able to catch the scarf and quickly turned around and came out of the lake all soaking wet and shivering.

"Damn, that water is ice cold" Lizzie said shuddering and chattering her teeth with cold.

"What else were you hoping for before you jumped into the water like that. You could catch cold and get sick." Darcy said angrily. He noticed her face was all red, goose bumps on her hands and her shirt was sticking into her body like a second skin.

"A hot geyser, what else?" Lizzie said sarcastically wearing her jacket but the way she was shivering totally ruined the effect of the comment.

This was the time Darcy rolled his eyes, he said frustratingly "Why were you so persistent to endanger your life for a mere piece of scarf?"

"You won't understand" Lizzie said indignantly wearing her shoes.

"If you wanted a scarf, I could have bought it for you." Darcy said annoyingly. Why will he not understand? Maybe women have a different sentiments and possessiveness with their clothes.

Lizzie said wearing her cap "I didn't want _a_ scarf, I wanted _the_ scarf. It's my sister's and she would kill me if I lose it."

Darcy opened his mouth totally surprised. He asked astonishingly "Your sister will kill you if you lose her scarf?"

Lizzie finally sighed and said walking fast to get some warmth in her body "Alright, I'm exaggerating. I didn't jump into an ice cold lake because I am scared of my sister. The thing is, that scarf is the only thing I have right now of Jane and I just cannot lose it. I need her... I mean I need that scarf with me. It's a sister thing, you won't understand."

Darcy could not believe what she just said, she was missing her sister, her family. It was not about a scarf, it was about her attachment, her bond with her sister. Not once in those weeks he thought about her family, how much she must be missing them. She was holding on to a piece of clothing for any connection with her sister. She was ripped apart from her world, from her family and she wanted that scarf to feel them near her. Would he not do the same thing if he lose Georgiana's scarf.

He smiled and took his coat off and gave it to Lizzie and said gently "I understand Miss Bennet, I have a sister too."

Lizzie looked at him, smiled politely and took the jacket "Thank you Mr. Darcy."

She added after few seconds "I have never seen you sister, only saw her painting, she doesn't live here?"

Darcy smiled and answered "She lives here with me but currently she is residing in London. She will be returning to Pemberly in few weeks."

Lizzie smiled "If I'm still here in few weeks, I will love to meet her. Anne talks about her a lot, she seems a sweet girl."

Darcy said with clear pride "Yes, she is an exceptional young woman. I will like her to meet you too."

Lizzie agreed with a small smile and Darcy asked her kindly "You never talk about your family, Miss Bennet. You must be missing them very much."

Lizzie sighed "Yes, I miss them a lot."

"Who do you have in your family?" Darcy asked, he wanted to know about her personal life too, not just about the work she was doing and the things she was planning to do.

Lizzie laughed as she said "My family is completely crazy. A very amusing father, controlling mother, world's best and kindest elder sister and world's most annoying and irritating younger sister. I'm a middle child, that's why I act out sometimes for attention, middle child syndrome" she joked.

Darcy smiled at her remark, she was intriguing and it was evident the scarf belonged to her elder sister Jane, she loved her dearly. He could not help paying attention to the fact that she did not say a single word about having a husband or a child. He had a notion that she was not married but now he was happier that his doubts had been clear.

Lizzie suddenly asked "It's only you and your sister in your family Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy replied quietly "Yes, but I do have Aunts and cousins."

Lizzie said casually "That's nice. But don't you feel wired living in that big house all by yourself."

Darcy sighed "Yes, sometimes I do. But my sister lives with me and my friends visit too. And there are so many people working here in Pemberly so my house never remains empty." He wanted to add that he had her living with him too but stopped himself just in time.

Suddenly Darcy remembered and said excitedly "I forgot to mention it to you earlier Miss Bennet, I will be having a guest staying in Pemberly in couple of days."

Lizzie nodded in understanding and said "I got you point Mr. Darcy, I'll be completely out of your guest's and your way. If there is any problem I can camp into the woods for few days. You don't have to worry about explaining my presence to anyone."

Darcy frowned, he did not mean it that way, why would he want her out of his house. He enjoyed her company so much and wanted to spend more time with her.

He said hastily "That is not what I meant earlier. I do not want you to leave Pemberly. I only mentioned it to you so you can meet my guest."

Lizzie raised her brows and asked "Seriously? You want me to meet them?"

"Most certainly" Darcy agreed.

"Then I'll love to meet your guest Mr. Darcy" Lizzie said with a smile and he grinned with pleasure.

Darcy saw her shiver and jump little closer to him for shield as a waft of cold breeze blew past them. He smiled, he wanted to protect her by placing his arms around her, make her warmer by keeping her closer but that would be so improper.

He said kindly "Let us get some dry clothes and hot drinks for you before you catch cold."

"That would be heaven." Lizzie agreed and said with a chuckle "Never going to jump into that lake again, it's like slow and cold suicide."

Darcy laughed at her joke. He could not help but notice that ever since he met Elizabeth Bennet he had been smiling a lot, the woman was definitely amusing.

* * *

_Thank you for reading the chapter. You thoughts on the story are welcome. Drop a line if you wish._

_Happy Reading :)_


	11. Chapter 11

**The Quest of Time: Now or Never**

_First of all I want to apologise for being MIA for so long, I'm very, very sorry, it's not fair to all of the loyal readers who read the stories and were waiting for an update. I have no excuse for it, I'm just very bad , things went out of control, suffered from the worst case of writer's block and lost my motivation and surprise, surprise, my writing suffered :-(  
_

_I'm sorry again and this chapter is dedicated to **Geril** for her kind words which encouraged me to write again_

_Thank you to all who reviewed **tinababy1, Fire Dolphin, icyblossom3, Miriam, EloiseD, HawkAngel XD, noukinav018, geril and Avanell**. You guys are the best, I'm so sorry I couldn't update sooner, I really am._

_Hope you like the chapter, I'm not sure if it's good or bad but it's something :-/_

_I'd love to hear your complaints or anything else you have to say to me, please forgive me and hope you enjoy the chapter._

* * *

**Chapter- 11**

"Aaaachhooooooo" Lizzie sneezed very hard and shook the table with all the chemicals and jars, almost ruining the experiment.

Philip held the table strongly trying to keep it steady, to stop the things from falling and said worriedly "Lizzie you should take some rest, you are not well, we can do this work some other day."

She rubbed her nose, which was all red in some tissue and said irritatingly "Don't worry about me Phil, it's just a minor cold, it'll be over in couple of days, but we need to finish this work to start the next phase of experiments." She added with a small chuckle "You forgot to say 'Bless you'."

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to ask about what the next phase of experiments was but she sneezed very hard again and he once more held the table to steady it and balance all the jars.

"Bless you" she heard a strange voice all of a sudden and looked around to see who it was.

No one other that Philip was allowed in that barn and she was apprehensive of the stranger standing right in front her. There was a man in his early thirties, tall but not as tall as Darcy, he had friendly eyes and he was standing at the barn gate smiling amusingly at her.

Lizzie smiled despite herself, it was hard not to return his warm smile. She said amusingly "Thank you, you are the only one who is interested in saving my soul, Philip here doesn't care at all."

The stranger laughed and said taking some steps towards her "I would even fight the whole army to save the precious soul of a lady like you with my life."

Lizzie laughed at his cheesy line and said humorously "Oh, my personnel knight in shining armour, lucky me."

The stranger gave a very dramatic bow and said graciously "Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam at your service my lady to protect you from any demons or bandits."

She chuckled at his theatrics and similarly stood at attention pose, gave a very commanding salute and said strongly "Elizabeth Bennet reporting Colonel Fitzwilliam," and added humorously "I don't need any protection from demons or bandits but I'll definitely help you take some down myself."

Colonel Fitzwilliam took Lizzie's hand, bowed and placed a small kiss and said cordially "Intelligent, brave and beautiful, I admire that in a woman."

"Chivalrous, charming and gallant, I admire that in a man" Lizzie said similarly with a small bow herself and both of them started to laugh heartily.

What both of them didn't notice in midst of their humorous bantering was a green eyed and rather angry and jealous man standing at the barn gate throwing daggers with his eyes at both of them. Darcy could not believe what he was watching right in front of his eyes, he had known Lizzie for almost a month now and she never behaved so friendly and sociably with him but right then, she met Richard for less than five minutes and they were laughing and joking like they had known each other for ages.

He marched strongly towards them and said annoyingly "Richard, did you forget that I mentioned only ten minutes ago that you are to not disturb Miss Bennet when she is working." He tried to keep his anger away from his voice but he was not sure how successful he was because his blood was boiling every second by looking at the way he was holding her hand and she was not even trying to remove it.

"I did not forget Darcy, I was more interested to see her work after you mentioned what she was doing" Richard said lightly to his cousin very curious to know the reason behind the sudden harshness in his tone. He looked at Lizzie and said courteously "I hope Miss Bennet you will forgive me for my untimely intrusion and enlighten me with your experiments because all of these look quite fascinating to me."

"It'll be my pleasure to show you what I'm currently working on Colonel Fitzwilliam" Lizzie said with a warm smile to Richard and added to Darcy lightly "Don't worry Mr. Darcy, he is not disturbing me at all. I believe he is the guest you mentioned earlier."

Darcy said stiffly, still angrily glaring at Richard "Yes Miss Bennet, this is my cousin Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam who will be staying at Pemberly for few days."

He stared hard at him and then followed his eyes to the hand he was currently holding. Richard understood what he was referring to and curtly nodded at Lizzie and let go of her hand, she smiled politely and went back to the table she was working on.

Richard said amusingly "I believe Darcy you would not mind if I stayed more than few days at Pemberly and have the privilege of staying in the company of this lovely lady longer."

Was it possible that Darcy could all of a sudden despise his favourite cousin in the whole world? Currently, it looked like that it was most certainly possible. Why was he doing that to himself, was he not the one who wanted Richard to meet Lizzie, get to know her, get to talk to her and see how wonderful she was? But why unexpectedly he was regretting that those two met?

He said indignantly "I believe it would be most unfortunate for both of us to prolong your stay here as we are expected at Rosings in few days. You do not wish to infuriate Lady Catherine, do you Richard?" He asked amusingly, clearly knowing how much he was uncomfortable with the whole notion of angry and livid Lady Catherine, he knew his so called brave and gallant cousin would never admit that but he was scared of her.

"Of course I do not wish our favourite Aunt to wait and lose her patience with us" Richard said hurriedly giving Darcy a questioning look as if implying the horror of that suggestion. That made him smile and he was satisfied by the panic in Richard's eyes, even if it was only for a brief moment.

"You are going to visit your Aunt?" Lizzie asked all of a sudden.

Darcy's mood softened in an instant when he noticed the smallest amount of distress in her pretty eyes, for a moment he even felt like she would miss him when he was gone. He answered kindly "Yes, we have some estate and tenant dispute to resolve for Lady Catherine, Richard and I help her when she needs us" and he added to assure her "You do not need to worry Miss Bennet, I will return to Pemberly at once the matter is resolved."

She smiled but looked at him apprehensively "I'm sure you'll solve the matter in no time but wouldn't it be very impudent of me to stay here once you are gone? I mean this is your house and how can I..."

Lord, was she really thinking he would throw her out of his house if he had to go somewhere, did she trust him at all? He quickly cut her in the middle "Miss Bennet, you are a guest at Pemberly, this is where you will stay. You cannot in your right mind think I will ask you to leave in the circumstances of my absence. You have to stay here, that is how it will be, nothing else is acceptable."

"But Mr. Darcy...." Lizzie began again and this time Richard was the one to end her doubts "Miss Bennet, I am not aware what impression you have of my cousin but believe me he is a very gracious host, think of this place as your own home and please in no condition talk about leaving" he chuckled and looked at him "because the way Darcy is panicking at the thought, I am sure he will shackle you to keep you here. It is your choice, would you be a guest or a prisoner?"

Darcy angrily stared at Richard, what was he implying and why was he lying? He was not panicking, he was only worried for her and he would never go against her wishes and force her to stay with him.

Lizzie laughed amusingly "I'm scared he might lock me in some dark dungeon if I disregard his wishes." She looked at Darcy and said very gratefully "I'll rather stay as a guest here and I'm very thankful that you are so kind and generous to me."

Darcy smiled and gladly accepted her decision and he would have said that he was the one thankful she was staying with him but his cousin did not give him the opportunity. Richard said delightfully "A very wise decision Miss Bennet, I knew you were intelligent."

"Not as intelligent as you if I might say" she said humorously and they all laughed merrily.

The afternoon passed quite quickly for them as Lizzie showed the experiments she was doing and what amazed him more was how she encouraged Philip to explain the complicated scientific procedures and the boy did well. Darcy always thought him to be smart but he was gifted too in chemistry, now he understood why Lizzie sang his praises to him, Philip not only knew every nook and corner of the things they were doing but he easily made others understood the complexity of it all in the most simplest of terms. He was natural and Darcy was proud to see Lizzie was a good influence on him, she was shaping him to be a responsible and valuable man.

When Richard asked Lizzie to join them for lunch, she at once accepted his request with warm smile and to Darcy's disappointment spent the whole time talking about various adventures Richard had in the army. He was utterly amused to see when she quite successfully argued with his cousin about the adverse effect of war and the policies of British Empire of Colonization and exploitation of foreign lands and slavery.

When Richard felt like he was losing the battle of wits with that quite passionate and politically active Dame, he thought it would be wise to talk about more pleasant and cordial topics. It was obvious the way she talked, sometimes more strongly on certain topics than it was acceptable from women, that she was an enthusiastic soul and very independent and free thinker.

As much Darcy enjoyed Richards's or Lizzie's company, he felt discarded and alone when all three of them were together. It was no secret to him that Richard was very popular among people, there was an ease and charm in his manners, he jested his way around anyone's wall of suspicion and people opened their heart to him and welcomed him like a dear friend, so why would not same thing happen with Lizzie too. But he could not stop feeling regret and envy, not because he hated him but because he regretted not having same open and extrovert nature as his cousin, the appeal of luring anyone to like him. And he had been quite minutely watching both of them interacting with each other, they were becoming better friends then he had ever imagined he could be with Lizzie.

So obviously couple of days later when he returned from finishing important business from Lambton before he made his way to Rosings, he was expecting Richard to be meddling into Lizzie's work, he made his way to the barn but did not find anyone. He asked Philip about them, even he had no idea because Lizzie was taking the day off from the work and he had not seen her since morning.

Finally after enquiring from dozens of other servants, he found the people he was all over looking for on the opposite part of Pemberly grounds. Imagine his surprise when he saw them fighting with each other with fencing swords, he left the house for few hours and the world was coming to an end, people were fighting for their lives.

"What is going on here? What are you two doing?" he shouted to stop the death match which was going on in front of his eyes, both of them in white pants and tunic, without the protective mask were attacking each other with steel foil.

Richard turned around to look at Darcy and in an instant Lizzie flipped her foil and struck the blunt tip of the blade in his chest and shouted "Gotcha" victoriously.

"Darcy, did you _have_ to shout like that" Richard frowned at him indignantly and narrowed his eyes at Lizzie in very ungentlemanly manner "I did not lose, Darcy distracted me, so you can stop your celebration."

"Richard, you are such a sore loser, just accept it, the student has become the master" Lizzie said amusingly patting his shoulder in patronizing manner.

Richard rolled his eyes incredulously "No one can master the art of fencing in four hours, not even you Lizzie, it takes years and years of practice to hone your skills."

Darcy looked from one person to another in complete disbelief, Richard and Lizzie, that's what they were calling each other now. All the propriety and decorum gone out of the window in just two days Richard met Lizzie, that what that woman does to everyone, what was next, Richard will start cursing like her now.

"But it looks like I did it in half a day" Lizzie retorted proudly.

Before Richard could open his mouth to answer her, the way he was glaring, it looked less like he was going to answer but more like he was going to shout at her, Darcy interrupted them and asked again loudly "What are you two doing? Why are you trying to kill each other?"

Richard looked at Lizzie, for some reason she looked doubtful and scared, completely opposite to the confident and fierce woman she was few moments ago. Hence because a gentleman he was, he took in his shoulders to explain everything to his angry and impatient cousin.

He took a deep breath and answered calmly "Lizzie wanted to learn fencing and I was more than glad to teach her."

"You wanted to learn fencing?" Darcy asked her astonishingly.

"Yes, ever since I was a child I wanted to learn fighting with swords but my Dad wouldn't let me. He said I was a menace all by myself, he wouldn't allow me to get hold of a sharp object" she rolled her eyes and Darcy couldn't agree with her father more, she _was_ a menace. The she said enthusiastically "So when in the morning Richard said he is great at fencing I couldn't miss this amazing opportunity, what I couldn't do then, I could do now, I had to learn everything from him."

"Tell him about Star Wars, only then he will understand what we are doing," Richard said excitedly "tell him how I am like Obi Wan Kenobi and you are Luke Skywalker."

Lizzie laughed at his childish elation "Oh yes, that's where my obsession with sword fight comes from."

Darcy gave her a questioning look, she had an obsession for sword fights, who was that woman? Well, he should not be surprised, she was definitely violent and restless, swords suited her temperament.

And very quickly Lizzie explained what 'Star Wars' really was, how it was this amazing space saga about the young boy with special powers who she described as Jedi Knight fighting the evil Empire. Darcy guessed she must really identify with the protagonist Luke, he watched amusingly when she started to describe the 'Light Sabre' which she thought as a young child the coolest thing she had ever seen. It must had been a twenty first century phrase, because to him coolest meant very cold but to her 'coolest' was the most magnificent and wonderful thing.

As before he was sucked into her world of magic, listening intently to all the things he could not even imagine and her enthusiasm was contagious as always, no wonder Richard could not escape from her charm, she got what she wanted by telling those unbelievable stories. She might not be the master of fencing but she was master of storytelling.

As soon she was done Richard said begrudgingly "And now she will not tell me the rest of the stories until I teach her to fence."

"Oh, so you are trying to kill her because of your childish need to hear a fairy tale" now Darcy understood why Richard agreed to her so quickly.

"It's not a fairy tale, it's an epic masterpiece. You did not really believe I will ever raise a weapon or kill any woman" Richard rolled his eyes at Darcy "but this is extenuating circumstances, teaching is different from fighting, well at least that is what Lizzie says."

Darcy snorted listening to that, that woman can talk her way into getting anything from anyone, she definitely was sleek and cunning but his cousin was even bigger fool to believe every word she said.

Watching Darcy's dark eyes and his trademark haughty snort with a hint of frown she knew he was angry and she once again became a nuisance which she promised earlier she wouldn't be to him. She said trying to mend the trouble she caused "It's not Richard's fault Mr. Darcy, I forced him to teach me and don't worry, this will never happen again, I'm sorry."

Hearing her Richard gave him an angry and disgusting look, she was so elated and excited earlier but as soon as Darcy came he brought the doom and gloom with him. He was about to tell him to leave and take his narrowing eyes and snide remarks with him but the man surprised him.

Darcy took a step closer to her to assure her "Do not stop this on my accord, I will never prevent you from pursuing your childhood dreams" he said with a small smile looking at Richard "I really am eager to see what Richard is teaching you because he himself have faced defeat from my hands on countless occasion, I hope he is a better teacher than a Fencer."

Richard snorted listening to him "The only time you defeated me was when I was formerly injured and had lack of practice. You took advantage of my wounded shoulders."

"Real Knight accept their defeat with dignity my dear cousin, they do not conjure lies to save their faces" Darcy retorted amusingly.

Lizzie stopped them as she saw Richard's face turning completely red with rage. She quickly came to his defence "He is an excellent teacher and fighter and we'll show you in a minute. Come on Richard, let's show him who the boss here is" she tried to distract him and concentrate on the fight.

Darcy took few steps back and smiled wickedly when Richard growled at him completely forgetting that they were in a presence of a Lady. He watched them very amusingly as Richard started to attack her with small and basic flicks of the blade and she was very confidently and successfully defending herself.

He noticed that she was fast, agile and very flexible with her moves and after few moments she changed her tactic and started to attack him. Richard was being a gentleman, his attacks weren't too strong and he was defending himself quite easily. It was evident he was trying to impress Lizzie by looking effortless in his every move but it was clear to him that he was struggling to keep his posture and not growl at her because she was going for the kill, she was very competitive and feral like a cat or more like a Panther.

Darcy was quite fascinated by her, sometime she was so wise, sometime she was so foolish, sometime she was so innocent and sometime she was so wild, she was a complete mystery to him and that made his urge to know her even more stronger.

Instead of watching and enjoying Richard struggle, his concentration was on Lizzie, the way her hair flew at her face even though they were tied securely in a knot, the way her eyes were fixed into Richard's eyes and the way every muscles of her body flexed by her aggressive moves. He knew she would be an excellent dancer because she had a nice pace and rhythm and out of a blue his mind formed a picture of him and her in a big and beautiful ball room, she was in his arms and she fitted perfectly there as he led her easily and effortlessly to a blissful dance.

"How was that?" his daydreams broke in middle listening to Lizzie's voice, they had finished their small show and she was looking at him expectantly "I managed to keep up with him for over five minutes, that's pretty good for a beginner, isn't it? It's safe to say he taught me well, don't you agree?"

Richard was looking at him too for conformation but Darcy went past him and looked at Lizzie, she was out of breath and blushing red due the fight. He said with a small smirk "That was indeed pretty well, but Richard forgot to mention some basic yet important lessons to you. Would you like me to teach you those things?" he asked hoping she would accept his offer and let him help her for once.

"What things are you talking about Darcy" Richard asked indignantly.

He ignored him, he was still looking at her. Lizzie seemed confused and he wondered why she would go to everyone for help and here he was offering her everything she need and she was hesitating. After few moments with a wide smile she agreed heartily "Sure Mr. Darcy, teach me anything which will help me get better."

Richard frowned listening to her and Darcy's heart elated with joy, for once she chose him over his cousin. He said confidently "I observed that when Richard was attacking you, although you were defending yourself quite skilfully but you put all your weight on your front foot instead of back. You will have better balance and you could hold your posture better if you put your weight on your back leg than front."

"Hmm" Lizzie looked thoughtfully at him "that does make sense, if you see it from Physics point of view, I'll have lower centre of Gravity if my weight was on hind legs and that'll give me better balance." She smiled cheerfully "Wow, that was a good advice why didn't _I_ think of it earlier. Well, thanks a lot Mr. Darcy."

He smiled, she was really grateful, that gave him the encouragement and he said again "And when you are attacking your opponent, you are using your shoulders. That will help you to make stronger blow but you'll be slower, you should use your wrist instead. Sometimes, speed is better than force."

"Really?" She looked at him perplexed "I thought I was doing it right" she moved her foil in air to show him the new techniques "Is this better?"

"Ummm...no. Move your hands like this" he came closer and showed her how it is really done by moving his own wrist but still she was doing it wrong.

"Why not just show her how it is done if you are such a master at it" Richard said begrudgingly, not at all pleased that all of a sudden Lizzie was ignoring him and taking Darcy's advice.

Darcy narrowed his eyes at Richard, why was he being so rude just because he was finding faults with his techniques. He could learn few things too instead of frowning like a five year old. He came closer to Lizzie and very slowly took her right hand in his own watching her reaction, to see if she was uncomfortable by him touching her like that. But she was looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to demonstrate what to do next.

He smiled diffidently when she did not object and stood behind her, her chest facing her back but still keeping a respectable distance between them. He whipped her hand with his own to show the correct techniques, but to make matters worse Lizzie kept moving back, coming closer and closer to him asking him more questions.

Not trying to fidget at her closeness and not to make a mockery of himself in front of Richard and more than that not trying to show her how he was affected by her proximity he took a deep breath to calm down. That was the worst possible thing he could do at that time, now his head was filled with her floral smell, which was not helping at all.

He prayed to Lord to save him from making a fool of himself and with a strong deliberation he put his other hand around Lizzie's waist and pulled her even closer. The length of her body fitted perfectly in his, her head was right under his neck and his arms were covering her arms, he quite easily and swiftly started to swing their hands together and the foil went from left to right, the noise of his wild heartbeat getting lost in by the noise of the metal steel cutting the thick air surrounding them and her small laughter which he cherished so much.

After a minute or so which really felt like an eternity Lizzie broke the rhythm and looked up at him, she was still in his embrace but she was comfortable "I think I got it now, thank you Mr. Darcy, that was so cool."

Her face was mere inches apart from her, for the very first time he noticed light freckles on her nose, why did not he see them before, maybe because he was never this close to her before, he was so close to her that if he had leaned down few inches he could have easily caught her lips into his which would have been heavenly. And unconsciously he was leaning down towards her but another distant noise of someone clearing their throat broke the spell and he came back to reality.

"Is your lessons complete Darcy" Richard asked amusingly.

He quickly released her from his grasp and took few steps away from her, what was wrong with him, what he about to do was completely unacceptable. He stiffly managed to blurt out "Yes, it is." He looked at Lizzie, she seemed normal and thank heaven totally oblivious of his intentions, he quickly made an excuse "I have some important business to finish with Andrew, I will see both of you later at supper" he bowed to her and left them there. In his haste to leave, he did not notice Lizzie's confused expression and Richard's amused chuckles but he did avoid both of them whole day long.

The five days Richard spend in Miss Bennet's company it was the most interesting experience to him. He was quite perplexed how Darcy could let anyone like that in his home and his life. He was epitome of best conduct and norms and Lizzie, in more than truer words challenged everything he or Darcy had to say. But it was amusing that his cousin quite enjoyed their discussions and loved to counter each other's arguments. There was something quite poetic about the way they tried to prove other wrong and themselves right. The battle of wits and conviction which consumed those two was like a crackling fire spreading fast in a jungle and it was not obvious to those two but only to an outside observer.

Richard was also very keen to know the real intention why Darcy let Miss Bennet stay in his home and more than that in his heart, he was completely devoured by her presence and he was also completely unaware of that fact too. He had noticed that whenever her attention was at him, Darcy's had a distinct frown on his face and when she spoke to him, the grin on his face was like a Cheshire cat.

It was more amusing that at times Darcy would try so hard to provoke her, to talk to her and even be close to her and at other times, he would avoid her, was rude to her and even pick arguments with her. It was apparent that he was himself unsure what he wanted from her, his internal battle was so obvious to Richard and he was dying to corner Darcy and ask him once in for all, what his intention was with Miss Bennet.

On the eve of their departure to Rosings Lizzie accompanied them in the parlour after supper which she not usually did, she left Darcy and Richard alone to discuss their matters but on Richard's special request she was with them.

Darcy was pleased too, at least he got to spend some more time with her even if it was because of Richard, once he left for his Aunt's he would only get to see her after many days and he was sure he would miss her but would she miss him, he wondered gravely.

Amidst their banters Richard somehow after lots of persuading and pleading and there was slight begging involved too, he managed to convince Lizzie to play a song for them. Darcy was quite astonished to found that out, why he never knew she was musically gifted and how on earth Richard knew that about her.

Richard explained that his bed chambers being in the same hall as Lizzie's he heard her playing some instrument last night and he wanted to hear her play that before he left as he would never get another opportunity to see her once she finished her work and left for her home.

After ten minutes of ranting that she was very bad at singing, she was still learning to play the instrument, she was out of practice and at one time she even admitted that she sang like Banshee and people rip their ears out listening to her singing which was quite funny for Darcy because he had heard her hum a sweet song once and her voice could not be any sweeter, Lizzie finally went to her room to get the small instrument she had, as she did not know how to play the piano which was in the parlour.

Darcy waited in anticipation as Richard was describing the sweet melody he heard from her room last night and he at once regretted that his bed chambers was in the opposite hall than hers, she could play and sing day and night and he would never get to hear from his room.

Lizzie walked into the parlour with a string instrument, she called it an acoustic guitar, Darcy had seen that before but he had never seen any woman play that before. Most girls learned to play standard musical instruments such as piano and harp like Georgina, but since she was independent and free woman, not like anyone else, he wondered she chose an instrument she could take anywhere with her, instead of a heavy instrument which would bound her to one place.

Again after lots of complaints about her bad voice and her less than lustre skills at playing the guitar, Darcy and Richard both rolled their eyes together and asked her to start playing. Why was she being so difficult and he soon realized that she was nervous, more like scared to perform in front of them. It was amusing to see her lose her cool and be insecure for once, all the other time she was so stubborn and sure of herself and making other people nervous.

"Alright, this is the song I learnt most recently and it is dedicated to you Richard for being a dear friend and an amazing teacher" she said with a small smile and added "and if you hate it just tell me to stop, no need to be kind and considerate and suffer torture."

"Ok Lizzie, I promise I will" Richard said impatiently "you making us wait is more torturous though."

Darcy could not agree more to his cousin and Lizzie took the cue and started to pluck the string of guitar and a beautiful and melodic tune started to fill that warm parlour. The melody sounded like Scottish folk song and he wondered if she wrote the tune herself or someone else wrote it.

_They were sitting, they were sitting in the strawberry swing.  
And every moment was so precious._

She started with a small smile and her voice was as sweet as he had imagined it to be and Darcy could not get his eyes off her. Why on earth she would say that she sang like a Banshee, he rolled his eyes at the thought.

_They were sitting, they were talking in the strawberry swing.  
And everybody was for fighting, wouldn't wanna waste a thing._

With her voice and her skilful pluck of the strings, the chamber was filled with an aura of mystery, it was not at all like an intense opera but more a like a sweet lullaby which a mother sings to a child to calm down and put to sleep.

_Cold, cold water bring me 'round.  
Now my feet won't touch the ground.  
Cold, cold water  
What you say?  
It's such, it's such a perfect day.  
It's such a perfect day._

Darcy could actually visualize everything she was singing as she looked at him and Richard as she repeated the last verse while playing the guitar with a huge smile. He could see the green fields next to the lake, the same field and lake where her car was crashed, a swing tied to the biggest tree where she sat under that sunny day to work. He could really picture her sitting on that swing going to and fro, her feet touching the cold water. He smiled at the thought when she was shivering with cold, her teeth clattering, goose bumps all over her skin when she jumped into that lake. That day was definitely perfect, not for her but definitely for him because that was the day she gave him the phone and he took her picture through it.

_I remember we were walking up to strawberry swing  
I can't wait 'til the morning  
Wouldn't wanna change a thing  
People moving all the time  
Inside a perfect straight line  
Don't you wanna curve away  
It's such it's such a perfect day  
It's such a perfect day_

Darcy wondered why she chose that particular song to sing, was it only because that was the last song she learnt to play but it seem more like it was from a distant memory. After that verse, she started to play the guitar even more strongly, the bridge was faster than the beginning of the song, the rhythm was the same but the energy of the room changed and her facial expression changed as well. It sounded more like she was remembering someone while she was saying those words.

_Ahhhh....  
Now the sky could be blue I don't mind,  
Without you it's a waste of time  
...could be blue I don't mind, without you it's a waste of time_

Her voice become softer and melancholy as she sang those verses, Darcy at that very moment knew that that song was not meant for Richard or him, it was meant for someone else. She was desperately missing someone and she was singing for him or her. He was not sure if she was singing that for her family or someone in particular, a friend or a loved one.

_The sky could be blue, could be gray without you I'm just miles away.  
The sky could be blue, I don't mind, without you it's a waste of time._

Darcy felt his heart constricted, for a moment he felt like he could not breathe when he saw her eyes sparkling with tears and his doubt was confirmed. Those words were for someone she loved, and he could even bet his life that it was a 'him'. She was missing that man and he had no notion who he was. That was not only a love song but a song for separation, it showed the pain and hurt, the sadness when someone is far away from the object of their affection.

She just confessed to him that everything she was doing, her laughter, her sword fights, her jokes and amusements, the perfect day she had was a waste because she was not close to the one she loved and he most urgently and desperately wanted to know who that person was.

He saw her close her eyes deep in her thoughts as she finished her song, playing that folk music slowly and slowly as it finally came to an end. Richard filled the silence of the room with strong applause and began to sing her praises.

Darcy wanted to tell her she had a beautiful voice, she was amazing at playing guitar and she need not be scared or doubtful about her abilities. If he had to describe her in a word it would be marvellous, because she _was_ marvellous but he could not utter a single syllable.

He simply nodded and faked a smile when Richard asked for his agreement that she sang beautifully. They were leaving in the morning, there was no time to inquire about the person she was singing for, she was missing, she was thinking about when she was fighting those tears. Richard was a fool to believe that song was for him but he was not.

What scared him more than the fact that she might be in love with someone else was the feeling that she could not be here in Pemberly once he returned. What if she found a portal while he was away, he will never get to see her again, and then he would be the one to realize the true meaning of that song, the feeling of separation from someone he thought about and cared for so much.

* * *

_Please tell me if you liked the chapter or not, your words and reviews encourage and motivate me to no end._

_Happy reading :-)_


	12. Chapter 12

**The Quest of Time**

_I deeply apologise for taking so long to update and I personally say sorry to **EloiseD** (I told you that I'd update during my X'mas holidays but this chapter just wasn't coming. I lost my flow at writing, I hate the way I wrote this chapter, nothing was coming the way I wanted to say but now I've exhausted myself and this is the best I can do right now. This is dedicated to you, hope you'll like it )_

_Thank you **HawkAngel XD , OWLBETHERE, noukinav018, EloiseD , Avanell , Miriam, A, L'amant Aile , lotus elise, Irene Blake, Bonbonnett, Bookworm14, bellathedisenchanted , Neutrino Girl, Lusalma, vindictivelemon** for your kind words._

_I am really grateful for whoever read and review this story and I apologise again for so spare and late updates, I'll try my best to update sooner from now on._

_Hope you like the chapter and happy new year everyone :-)_

* * *

**Chapter-12**

"I am very certain that she is missing you too" Darcy was looking out of the window of the parlour, watching the beautiful garden of Rosings and was startled hearing his cousin's low voice, he did not even notice when he entered the room, how long was he standing there watching him lost in his thoughts?

He noticed the small curve of his lips and was irritated by the fact that Richard found his innocent yearning for a woman so quite amusing but he couldn't help himself asking with little hope "Do you think so?"

"Of course I do," Richard stood right next to him looking out of the window same as him to see what was of so interest to Darcy "she wrote in her letter, didn't she?"

"_What_ letter" Darcy asked confused, Lizzie did not write any letters to him, was she in correspondence with Richard? That thought made him angrier, were her and Richard such good friends that they were exchanging letters and why didn't she write to him.

Richard gave him a strange look and tilted his head towards the desk "_That_ letter."

Darcy looked at what he was pointing at and realized what Richard was talking about and suddenly went rigid. His cousin saw the change in his manners too and asked innocently with a sly smile "Were you thinking about some other pretty girl Darcy?"

"Of course not" Darcy quickly moved away from him and picked Georgiana's letter placed on the table "I was thinking about Georgi, I am about to write my reply to her request and that was what I was thinking about, only Georgiana and no one else" he said with strength and conviction so that his obstinate cousin would take the hint and won't press on the matter any more.

But Richard being Richard, no trick would work on him and he laughed loudly "And we met only yesterday."

Darcy ignored his sarcastic remark and concentrated on her sister's letter again, last year had been incredibly hard on her after what happened and she was trying very hard to mend her mistakes but he could not understand why couldn't she do that at Pemberly, why she wished to be part from him and stay at London, why was she afraid to be close to him and let him help with everything she was going through.

"Well, I am sure Miss Bennet misses you too Darcy, just as much as you" Richard said humorously, weighing his every expression and was glad when Darcy gave him a very deathly glare and threatened him through gritted teeth "You presume too much Richard and you mistakenly have a lot of faith in your good fortune and my patience too."

"Well, if I really had such a good fortune I wouldn't have been confined here in Rosings under the rule of Lady Catherine for two weeks, would I" Richard sulked like a child and then said with a small laugh "But I have to acknowledge your patience, not once you defied Aunt Catherine's request to stay longer."

Darcy snorted at his remark "You were at the dinner table too Richard, it wasn't a request, it was an order that we celebrate Easter here, I did not had a saying at the matter at all."

"Of course, not even the brave Knights and warriors can go against Lady Catherine's wishes." Richard stated it as a fact instead of a cynical statement because it was the truth, even Darcy knew that his Aunt was a force to be reckoned with.

She did not scare him as much as he was irritated by the fact that she was dominating and a difficult person to show your own point of view to and he did not wish to make things complicated by telling her the real reason why he wanted to return to Pemberly at once, as he thought it was the best idea that she remained unaware of the existence of 'a creature from the future' and he will be forever be grateful of Richard as he did not utter one word about Lizzie to her or their cousin Anne but he did not extend the same courtesy to him. Every opportunity he got, he brought her up in the conversation, he had no idea what answer he was looking for because even he wasn't sure how he felt for her.

"So, what is your final answer?" Richard asked casually and Darcy was once again confused, what he was talking about, for a split second he feared that his cousin could read minds and knew exactly what he was thinking about but seeing his bewildered expression, he clarified "Your final answer to Georgi's request?"

Darcy relaxed seeing Richard changed the topic and when he saw the letter in his hand of his beloved sister he sighed "I do not know what to do, she says that she misses me, she misses home and yet she wishes to stay at London for a little longer. But she had been away from home for a while and I wish her to be near me, as much as I love her, I can not grant her this request, I want her at Pemberly at once."

"Good" Richard said enthusiastically and patted his shoulders "because I was thinking the same thing as well. I know what happened caused distress to us all and Pemberly reminds Georgi of that God-awful and abhorring being born as a man but it is not the reason to stay away from home, it is time to put past behind us and start anew. Georgiana needs to be at home, with family and with people who love her and take care of her."

Darcy cracked a small smile, at that time he realized how much Richard's support meant to him, how much his words helped him to clear his doubts and cemented his decisions "Yes, I would not allow that lowly creature to stop my sister from living her life the way she deserves. And if she says she is still not ready to return to Pemberly, we will have to change her mind."

"Yes," Richard said with conviction "we _are_ her guardians, she has to do what we ask her to do, she has to obey us."

Darcy laughed at that, who was Richard fooling with that statement "Because we are not puppets in her hands and comply to her every wishes, her every demands, it's the _other_ way around."

Richard rolled his eyes at that "Even if we do, it is because she never makes unnecessary and unjust demands, she deserves everything and she is the sweetest girl in the whole wide world, who could ever say no to her."

"Yes, she is the best sister anyone could ever hope for" Darcy agreed, he missed her too much to even say it in words "and I have decided, I will go to London and take her back to Pemberly with me. Spring is the best time to be there, new flowers, new leaves, new surrounding, new people, it all will do good to her."

"You read my mind Darcy" Richard grinned enthusiastically "I would especially like Georgiana to meet Miss Bennet, she is a strong, intelligent and very independent lady, having a companion, a friend like her would be splendid for Gerogi, she could learn so many things and I am very positive, they will get along fine."

Darcy smiled at his enthusiasm, Richard was talking from his own experience and even he knew that a friend like Lizzie was all Georgiana needed to forget past mistakes and have some extra joy in her life. He said delightfully "Oh, I know Georgi would love Lizzie and she will love her too. Anne and Philip had told her many stories about Georgiana and she had asked me many times when she was coming home, she was dying to meet her" he laughed thinking of the time when she told him with a small pout that if she didn't get to meet Georgiana before she went home, she would regret it for the rest of her life "It's time those two wonderful ladies had the opportunity to form an acquaintance and hopefully a strong bond of friendship too."

Darcy was waiting for his cousin to agree with his remark but found him giving him a strange look and after a moment he chuckled amusingly "So, she is Lizzie to you now?"

Darcy bit his tongue, did he just address her as Lizzie in front of Richard, he always called her that in his head but he was very careful to not say it out loud, he had no idea how he slipped. He quickly clarified "It was by mistake."

Richard laughed even harder in amusement "Darcy, you are a bad liar and I have known you since childhood, so do not assume that you can fool me."

"Why would I ever dare to fool _you_ Richard, you are an omniscient deity who knows what people do or think even if they themselves are unaware of it" Darcy said cynically.

"That is why it is futile to hide anything from me Darcy" Richard said wisely "so tell me when Miss Bennet became Lizzie to you."

Darcy was very uncomfortable with any prospect of sharing his truest feelings, his hidden desires with his most favourite cousin but he was more frustrated by not knowing himself what he was feeling. He trusted Richard and he knew he would keep everything he said in deepest confidence, just to make sense of everything he was feeling he finally said sincerely "I have no idea when and how that happened Richard, I truly have no idea."

Instead of mocking him, he was very grateful when Richard said quietly "I know what you mean Darcy, it is like that woman puts a spell on you and you lose all your control. Sometimes the things she says and does makes me feel like she is not even _from_ this world."

Richard had no idea how true his last remark was but he was not ready to divulge Lizzie's secret to him, telling him his own secrets was hard enough. He asked solemnly "What should I do then?"

"What do you mean?" Richard was confused and he could clearly see Darcy was in perpetual discomfort thinking about the answer to that question himself, that was the only reason he was asking for his advice.

Darcy started pacing, he could not even make sense of his own chain of thoughts "When I first met her, she was intriguing… different, I have never met anyone like her in my entire life and I invited her in my home because she needed help and I was curious to know more about her world but now things have changed."

"Changed? How?" Richard asked cautiously, trying not to put Darcy on defence, he rarely opened up to him and the last thing he wanted to do that moment was to make a mistake and turn him into a closed safe thrown at the bottom of the deep ocean again, forever lost in his loneliness, in his own mind, without any method to bring him back again.

He nervously ran his fingers through his hair and gave a defeated sigh, he had to face the truth, there was no way out, it was useless to hide it anymore "With every passing time she is even more intriguing, everything about her captivates my imagination and I cannot stop thinking about her all the time. Being away from her for so long it made me realize how much I miss her. I miss her laughter, I miss her stories, I miss arguing with here, I miss everything." He curled his hands into a fist by the anger and frustration "And I know this is all wrong, I want it all to stop and I do not have any clue how to fight my own feelings anymore."

Richard rose from his place and put his arm on his cousin's shoulders to calm him down and said with small smile "Why are you fighting it Darcy? You are an exceptional man, you are brave, intelligent and loyal. What you lack in charm, you easily make it up for with your wealth, any woman would be lucky to be your wife."

Darcy laughed dryly at his cousin's remark "I am very lucky you think so highly of me Richard."

"Really Darcy" Richard ignored his cynicism and said seriously "What are you really afraid of?"

Darcy said impatiently "Where do I begin? She is not from our world, our society, she doesn't belong here, she speaks differently, she behaves improperly, she doesn't follow the rules of this society as a lady should, she has no place in this world… in my world. If those are not good enough reasons for me to stay away from her, there are other complications to think of, like the fact she doesn't like me, she will leave soon and go back to her home and I will never be able to see her again, _ever._" He hesitated for a moment but finally gave a disappointing sigh "And I am very certain that there is some other man in her life whom she belongs to, whom she loves."

"Hmmm" Richard said slowly "that is an awfully very long list of reasons for you to stay away from her." Darcy gave him a solemn look listening to that so his cousin tried to comfort him "But Darcy, there are equally long list of reasons for you to try to win her heart, change her mind and make her stay with you. I agree she is different from any esteemed lady in our society but I think her difference is what makes her special and I know it for a fact, those are the main reason she is the object of your admiration." He said with a small chuckle "If you agree with me, if you love her as much as I think you do, then I say fight for her, forget about rhyme or reasons and for once in your life forget propriety and follow your heart."

"I do not love her" Darcy said quickly to clarify all the assumptions Richard just made about him and his feelings for Lizzie.

"You do not?" Richard raised his eyebrow in puzzlement "You could have fooled me," and asked again "then what is it that you feel for her."

Darcy sighed and walked away from him and looked out at the window, trying to find the answer for that question, he tried to find answer for that question million times but always failed. Finally he thought about her, every thing he ever felt from the moment he saw her for the fist time and said slowly "I… I admire her courage, her independence, her mind." He saw a bird sitting on the branch of an oak tree and after few moments it flew up to the sky and his eyes followed it as far as he could see the sky through the window and things finally became clear to him and he said with a heavy heart "And that what it will ever be… a profound admiration, because this is not her place, she will go back to the place where she truly belongs and I need to remember that, I need to accept that."

"Darcy" Richard said seriously "not as your cousin but also as your best friend, I think it is my duty to tell you that you are making a huge mistake."

"No" Darcy turned around, his eyes were dark and his demure was cold and calculated "this is the right thing to do, for me and for her."

Richard was startled by his change in behaviour and tone, he wanted to talk to him more and change his mind but even _he_ knew it was waste of his time and Darcy walked past him towards and door and said strongly "And I need to talk to Lady Catherine about my departure, I shall go to London and take Georgiana back to Pemberly at once."

That was the end of discussion about Lizzie and Richard was apprehensive about bringing her again in their conversation because Darcy was being very ill humoured and curmudgeon in his behaviour for the rest of the day but he was not complaining because he had the golden opportunity to leave the Rosings with Darcy the next day for London.

As much foul mood Darcy was in past few days and the way Richard looked at him from time to time with pity, it wasn't helping him either, he did not want anyone to feel sorry for him, the time away from Lizzie was an eye opening experience, he knew he couldn't have made all the decisions if he was close to her, his mind was completely devoured by her presence whenever she was near. The decision he made was not only to protect himself but it was also to protect her. He knew Lizzie felt obligated to him because he had given her shelter and protection and if he tried to act on his feelings, she might…. No, he was certain that she would definitely leave him and he did not want her to be destitute and all alone in the cruel world.

As soon as he stepped in his residence in London he heard the beautiful melody of piano, all his grim thoughts disappeared thinking about Georgiana. She was practicing in the parlour at the pianoforte, her fingers moving over the keys like a gentle wave of the ocean and he gently touched her shoulders to make his presence noticed.

Georgina looked up and jumped into his arms completely unlike a lady "Brother! When did you come? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Darcy laughed and swivelled around hugging her to his chest, that's what he needed at that time, his precious sister to forget about all of his problems "If I'd have told you earlier, I wouldn't have the pleasure to see your surprised face right now, would I?"

She laughed and kissed his cheeks "Yes, you wouldn't have and I'm so pleased that you came, I have missed you so much."

"As I have missed you" Darcy said with an eager smile "and now you do not have to anymore."

"You are going to stay here with me then" she asked eagerly, her face as innocent as a child.

"No, I came here to take you back to Pemberly with me" Darcy stroked her hair with affection and looked into her eyes to perceive her reaction and he was distressed when the smile fell from her face.

She anxiously clenched her hands together and said softly "But brother, I said in my letter that I want to stay here longer, you won't grant me my wish."

Darcy sighed and he looked around and mumbled silently "Where is Richard when you need him." He wasn't ready to do this alone, he could never see Georgiana that sad and upset and he was terrible at telling her no, especially when she looked so forlorn and pleading, it was am impossible task.

"Did Richard come with you as well" she asked little delighted and ran out of the room to look for him and she didn't had to go too far as he came into the parlour just as she reached the door and just like as Darcy, he also pulled her into his arms affectionately.

Things became little easier with the support of his cousin, Georgiana did everything as he had expected her to do, she begged and pleaded, she frowned and stomped her foot as an insolent child but Darcy was persistent and Richard was stubborn too and by supper that night it was decided that they would go back to Pemberly in couple of days.

He tried so hard to wash away all her fears, all her guilt but she was a sensitive girl and she was not ready to forgive herself yet when everyone else had forgiven her. She was hurting and it was not acceptable to Darcy, he told her about Lizzie, he told her that she would have a new companion unlike anyone she had met before and things will be different at Pemberly, better than before, he promised her that and vowed to keep her safe from everything and everyone. She was her only sister, her only family and he needed her close with him and she understood that too, she wanted the same things and at night before going to bed, in his arms with wet eyes she apologised again and said she was ready for a new beginning and that was all Darcy wanted, a new beginning for her beloved Georgi and hopefully a new beginning for himself too.

If only things would go to everyone's plan, it would be a perfect world for everyone. Darcy was in London for almost a week because Georgiana was taking ample time to pack her belongings and she wanted to meet few friends and acquaintances before she went to Pemberly. So instead of two days, he decided to go back in a week but he was glad that his sister was happier and she was definitely feeling lighter, the heavy fog over her playful mood had lifted at the prospect of returning to home, she was finally looking forward to it and she suggested that she wanted to take some gift for Lizzie as a gesture of friendship and she asked for his advice.

Darcy had no notion what would be a perfect present for Lizzie because he did not know her as well he wanted to. At first he decided for a sword because she was learning fencing from Richard but that was impractical and improper present for a lady but then he remembered something. He told Georgiana the incident when she jumped into the ice-cold lake to get her sister scarf and she was very pleased with the idea too.

He accompanied her in the search to find a perfect scarf and she wanted to get some ribbons too. Georgiana was excited in the anticipation to meet her and he was excited ten folds, he wanted to get her something himself and he went from one shop to another in search for a perfect gift for her, something as perfect as her gift to him. He still carried the cell-phone she gave him with him all the time but it's battery died days ago and he couldn't see her picture anymore, he was disappointed by the thought.

When they reached home delighted to find a perfect present for her, three letters were waiting for Darcy. The first letter was from Richard that he could not come to see them and say farewell as he had to report to his duty and he had to leave, the other was from his valet Andrew who informed him about the things in Pemberly, he was particularly concerned about the new project Miss Bennet was doing with Philip inside the house, not in the barn and the final letter was from his dear friend Charles Bingley inviting him to his new estate he was renting, Netherfield in Heartfordshire and he wanted his advice and opinion on the matters if he should buy it and make it his permanent residence.

Darcy had to delay his trip back to Pemberly for the second time as he could not ignore his friend's request. He thought it would be better to meet Charles and inquire how urgent his matters were and then decide if he should go to Hertfordshire or not. As much as he liked Charles and wanted to assist him with his new endeavours, he was worried about Georgiana, she was finally looking forward to go home and the last thing he wanted was to give her a reason to delay her return, he feared that she might change her mind and he did not have Richard with him to persuade her again. And there was a small proclivity towards Lizzie, as much as he hated to admit that, he was desperate to see her again and was always scared that she might not be at Pemberly when he returned. The longer he was taking to go home, the slimmer his chances were to see her again, she could return to her time any day and he wanted to see her last time before she went.

Three days later Darcy went to meet his friend at the Gentlemen's club, Charles had invited him at his residence but he preferred to meet him there instead of his home because he wasn't very keen to meet his two sisters at that moment. He saw Charles at a table with couple of his acquaintance and as soon as he saw him and stood up with open arms "Darcy, it has been so long."

Darcy shook his hand and returned his large small less enthusiastically than him "Yes Bingley, it definitely has been too long. How is everyone in your family?"

"My sisters are doing very well and yet unsatisfied, always complaining about trivial matters" Charles said with good humour "and that reminds me, Caroline was disappointed that you and Georgiana could not join us for dinner tonight and thus was being her pleasant self, I was very glad you suggested this place, I was eager to get away from the home, so thank you."

Darcy smiled as they both took their places "Please convey my sincere apologies for tonight to your sister, Georgiana and I had to finish some things before we leave for Pemberly."

"So, you are not coming to Heartfordshire with me" He inquired with disappointment.

Darcy knew his friend always counted on his support and he deeply regretted to not help him at that instant but he also knew that Charles was very kind and generous and most of all a good hearted friend, he would forgive him and would not bear any ill in his heart or feel betrayed by him and his lack of counselling in his matters. He said sincerely "Charles, I would like to help you with anything you need my assistance with but currently I have to take Georgiana back to Pemberly, this is important otherwise I would not have declined your offer."

"I understand Darcy" Charles sighed and patted his shoulders and said with a grin "Georgiana must come first before everything else."

"Thank you Charles" Darcy said with relief, he always knew he would understand his difficulties and he was eager to make it up to him, so he said enthusiastically "Once you are in Heartfordshire and if you really like the place or if you have any difficulty with anything, write to me, I'll come there at once and help you with any decisions you have to make and for Lord's sake, do not agree to anything, sign any documents in haste, without discussing it with other people first." He warned him, Charles was very easy going and trusted anyone who spoke few nice words to him, he felt it as his duty to make sure he was not taken advantage of his kind and trustworthy nature.

Charles laughed hard at that "You are always looking out for me Darcy and believe me I have learnt my lesson after you warned me about that slimy Mr. Krepton, I would not be fooled again" he said gratefully remembering the incident when an dishonest businessman was trying to sell him a ruined property and Darcy interfered in time to stop it. He always valued his counsel and he knew with him on his side, he would make the right decisions.

"I hope not" Darcy said amusingly and reminded again "and do not get carried away with the beauty of the place, buying a house is a permanent investment, you have to think wisely before you make any commitments."

Charles nodded and smiled mischievously "You are right but the property is not the only reason I am going there and inviting you to come with me."

Darcy gave him a confused look not understanding what else was he interested in, so Charles clarified with a shy smile "The property is lucrative but the place is well known for the beauty of its women and hospitality of the people, I am sure we both could find some beautiful and charming ladies to tempt us as well."

Darcy laughed listening to that "Good luck with that Charles, even if you do not like the Estate, I really hope you find something really precious there."

Charles said with a sly smile "And leave you all alone by yourself, Pemberly needs a mistress too Darcy, come with me, bring Georgiana too and we all could have a wonderful time there and we both could find someone precious."

"I do not want to find anyone else Bingley" Darcy said quietly, more to himself than to his friend.

"What do you mean by anyone else, have you already found someone?" Charles said excitedly, one would think that his trousers were on fire or he found a hidden fortune with the eagerness in his eyes.

"No," Darcy said quickly and regretted his slip of tongue again and said uncomfortably "that is not what I meant. What I was trying to say is that, I need to take Georgiana home and take care of her, I do not have time to think about anyone else."

"Oh," Charles said disappointingly and assured him "do not worry about Georgiana, she is wiser than you can imagine and if I found someone perfect for you, I'll write you and you have to come at once."

Darcy sighed and tried to convince his friend that he wasn't looking for anyone "Bingley, you worry about yourself and not me. Do not forget you have your sisters accompanying you, they will be more eager to find a beautiful lady for you and keep you busy to let you think about anything else."

Charles said grumpily "I don't know, sometimes I feel like Caroline doesn't want me to find love, as if she is afraid that her importance would decline in the family once I have a wife."

Darcy bit his tongue before he said something upsetting about Caroline, he felt that the same thing from her in more than one occasion but he tried to comfort his friend, instead of wedging problems between the siblings "Bingley, I am sure Caroline wants what is best for you and anything she did in past to make you feel that way was to protect you. She is your sister, of course she wants to see you happy."

"Yes, you are right" Charles smiled and agreed to him "it was foolish to think that way, she looks out for me the same way I look out for her."

Darcy nodded too and the rest of the afternoon was passed talking about Charles plans for the Estate and property, their business and final words of caution from Darcy to him, warning him to not make any foolish mistakes.

Later that evening at supper Georgiana informed him that she had finally finished all her packing and pending tasks and was ready to leave for home and he was ready to go back to Pemberly too, ready to see if she would be there waiting for him. He was anxiously hoping that she was eager to see him just as much he was eager to lay his eyes upon her after being more than a month apart.

* * *

_Thank you for your patience, hope you liked that chapter_

_Happy reading :-)_


	13. Chapter 13

**The Quest of Time **

_I'm alive and so is the story, ____apologies for being MIA_. _Thank you for your patience, your messages and reviews, your support means the world!_

_Happy reading :-)_

* * *

**Chapter-13**

"Mrs. Reynolds, where is Miss Bennet?" Darcy asked as soon as he and Georgina stepped inside Pemberly late in the afternoon and the woman greeted them at the door.

She replied while hugging Georgiana adoringly "She is having a picnic with Philip and Anne. They will return soon Master Darcy. Do you want me to send someone to summon her?"

"No, that will not be necessary" Darcy said quickly and told Georgina "You should settle down and freshen up for supper, you will see her then."

"Yes Brother, but first I want to quickly look around to see what has changed in my absence." Georgina replied with a huge smile, she was definitely happy to be back home.

"I will show you around Dear, most of the things are same as you left them but Miss Bennet had made quite a few changes to the kitchen and back garden" Mrs. Reynolds held her hand lovingly and guided her to the kitchen "and I will also arrange for some tea and cakes for both of you, you must be tired and hungry after the long journey."

"That would be splendid Mrs. Reynolds, I will be in my study" Darcy smiled and went to his chambers, he thought he should clean up and change his dirty clothes before seeing Lizzie.

It was around six, Darcy was waiting for about two hours for Lizzie and still she wasn't back from her picnic, were they having a picnic in Scotland, what was taking them so long? He was growing impatient, he should have listened to Mrs. Reynolds and send someone to summon her home, he was dying to see her. After being away from her for almost two months, those two hours felt like a lifetime, he could not give his full attention to her sister who was splendidly playing the piano in the parlour.

He heard some ruckus outside and went out to see if that was her and he couldn't stop his smile when he laid his eyes on her. She looked different from the last time he remembered her, she was tanned, she must have spent a lot of time outside, her hair was longer and less bluer, if that was even a word, Darcy wondered, but some things were exactly the same, like her smile, her amusing eyes and the fire of her spirit, nothing could alter that.

He watched her silently, Philip, Anne and Lizzie were arguing about something and they wouldn't allow Mrs. Reynolds to say even a word. She struggled to tell the news about Darcy's arrival as Philip said irritatingly to everyone "Of course I am angry, after waiting patiently for four hours, I finally caught a fish and then Lizzie threw it back in the lake. Who does that? She is crazy, she has no respect for all the hard work and time it took me to catch that fish and it wasn't something small, it was a huge fish and because of her it's all gone, lost forever."

Philip pouted like a child fretting over the lost game, Anne looked at him sympathetically and Lizzie tried to suppress her laugh and rolled her eyes "Come on Phil, the game was to catch a fish, it didn't mean we had to kill it afterwards. There is no need to act like a petulant child and throw temper tantrums now."

"I'm not acting like a child" Philip was angrier and stomped his foot "You are the one who is acting like a child. Tell her Anne, tell her I am right. And what she did was wrong."

Anne looked from Phil to Lizzie, she was unable to take anyone's side, she looked at Mrs. Reynolds to pacify the childish situation because in her opinion both of them were acting like children but saying those words would mean being in the receiving end of both of their wrath, it was the time to be diplomatic.

Before Mrs. Reynolds could scold them to be quiet, Darcy interrupted the merry group of people "I am away for six weeks and this is what happened to all of you? You are fighting over lost game and childish tantrums."

"Master Darcy?" Philip and Anne squealed in surprise watching him appear from behind them but he was only looking at Lizzie's face, to see if she was happy to see him or not.

He was pleased to see her first being surprised and then excited, there was a huge smile on her face "Mr. Darcy, you are home. It's about time, you said a week and you went for more than a month, I was thinking here that a time vortex sucked you into another century and I won't get to see you again."

Darcy looked from Lizzie to everyone else's face, how could she say something like that in front of everyone, wasn't she scared people would discover her secret but he saw everyone's puzzled expression and felt relieved, none of them understood her joke and they ignored it the same way they ignored most of her out-of-the-world ramblings they cannot make any sense of. He answered cordially "Of course not Miss Bennet, I do not have your luck." And he added hesitantly "You look splendid, I assume you had a wonderful time here without me to interrupt you."

She laughed and replied amusingly "You won't believe it but I actually missed your interruptions and arguing with Phil is not as fun as arguing with you. I'm glad you are back."

"I am glad to be back too." He replied with a smile, it didn't matter if she didn't feel the same way for him as he did for her, but knowing that she missed him, even a little, meant a lot to him.

"Has Georgiana come with you? Where is she, I really want to meet her?" She asked excitedly looking around to find his sister.

"Yes, she came with me, she is in the parlour, come, I will introduce you to her." He took her to the parlour where his sister was still playing the piano oblivious to the world, she was glad to be back in her old seat beside her favourite piano. He touched her shoulders gently and she looked around startled and saw him and Lizzie.

"Oh, please forgive me, I did not notice we had company." She said embarrassingly jumping from her seat and looking from Lizzie to her brother.

Darcy put an arm around her to comfort her, she was always shy around people and it took lot of time and patience to bring her out of her shell. He introduced the two ladies hoping they would become better friends than he had hoped for "Miss Bennet, this is my sister Georgiana, the life and laughter of Pemberly and mine too and Georgiana, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, a friend of my old business associate Mr. Smith from America, she is staying with us here till she finishes her work."

Georgina bowed and gave a friendly smile and before she could exchange greetings with Lizzie, she was surprised by her excitement and friendliness. Lizzie embraced her tightly "It's so nice to finally meet you Georgiana. Anne, Philip, Mrs. Reynolds, everyone talks so much about you, I feel like I already know you."

She gave an alarming look to her brother but Darcy only smiled and nodded in encouragement. It was a new feeling for Georgiana, she had carefully kept her distance from everyone for so long, it was quite a shock when a stranger was breaching all her space but Lizzie was friendly and inviting and for some strange reason her brother trusted her and she knew she could trust her too. She finally smiled and returned her embrace with warmth and love "It is a deepest pleasure to finally meet you too Miss Bennet, Brother had told me a lot about you too. I sincerely hope we could be friends."

Lizzie let her go and gave Darcy a questioning look "I hope he didn't tell you everything about me" he shook his head to convey that her secret was safe and she added with an amusing smile "It'll ruin the suspense and pleasure to know each other ourselves. And please call me Lizzie, that's what all my friends call me."

"Only if you call me Georgiana" Georgiana replied.

"Deal" Lizzie put out her hand and they both shook on it, a perfect start of their journey together.

The rest of the evening passed amidst beautiful melody of piano, fine wine, delightful feast and wonderful company. Darcy was very interested to know what Lizzie was doing in his absence and to his surprise Lizzie was more interested in knowing about him, the work he had been doing, places he had been visiting, plans he had for the future. She also asked about Richard and his Aunt but Darcy only replied those questions with very short answers.

After the dinner and the tea Georgiana presented Lizzie the scarves she had brought for her from London "I searched so many shops to find something perfect for you, I hope you like them."

Lizzie hugged her, she was surprised by that kind gesture, Georgiana reminded her so much of her own sister "Thank you Georgiana, you shouldn't have troubled yourselves. Yes, I love them, they are so beautiful."

Georgiana shook her head "It was no trouble at all. Brother mentioned that you once jumped into the ice cold lake to save your sister's scarf and I thought it would a be a nice gift for you, it will always remind you of this place."

"Oh yes I did, it was very stupid but your brother was very kind and gave me his coat and today you are giving me this, I can never repay your kindness" Lizzie said. Darcy astonished her, he was a completely different, and unrecognizable when he was with her sister. Maybe she was too fast to judge him because the more time she spend with him, the more she heard about his kindness from other people, she realized she should have been more patient with him and she was determined to mend her mistake and give him time.

Darcy only shrugged his shoulders in reply and added "It was my duty and it is our pleasure to have your company Miss Bennet." He was very glad to be back at home with his family and for some weird reason he included Lizzie in his picture of family.

After a while Georgiana announced she was tired and left to go to bed early, Darcy was glad to have some moment alone with Lizzie.

"Georgiana is more wonderful than everyone had said" Lizzie said.

"She is" Darcy replied with pride of a father because he was the one who raised her and he was happy to take all the credit for it.

"She reminds me so much of my sister but she is more shy than Jane."

"Yes, she is shy around new acquaintances but once you get to know her better, you would not even recognize her as the same quiet person you have met now." He said remembering how exuberant she was before the tragedy of last year, as if life itself was shining out of her as a bright Sun.

"I'm glad I got the chance to meet her before I left."

That comment set off Darcy the wrong way "You are leaving? Have you found a way to go back home so soon?"

Lizzie sighed with despair "No I haven't, and quite frankly, I'm running out of ideas and things to do to find my way back. I don't know what I'll do all alone if I'm stuck here forever."

Darcy thought of reassuring her, it would not be so terrible for her living at Pemberly with him and Georgiana but he could not find the courage to say those words to her. Instead he went to the table and retrieved his present to her, the one perfect gift he searched for so long and he knew she would love it too. He handed the nicely wrapped gift to her "Maybe, this will help you."

Lizzie's frown turned into a smile as soon as she saw his gift "You brought me a present too." She quickly undid the ribbon and paper and her smile grew wider because her guess was correct, it was a book "Thank you Mr. Darcy, you are very kind.

Darcy was pleased that she liked his present but he was not prepared for what happened next. As soon as Lizzie saw the book cover and read the name her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped a little, she quickly opened it and when she read the preface and publication details she squealed "Oh my God, oh my God, is this for real."

He did not understand what she was asking and why she was suddenly so excited and over the moon. Lizzie took couple of steps towards him "Is this really the first edition of Newton's Principia?"

Darcy nodded "Yes, it is. I was thinking of getting you something useful that will help you with your work, and then a close friend of mine, who is also interested in science, recommended me this and he knew a rare book collector who had a copy and I bought it for you. It is more than hundred years old, I hope you like it."

"Like it? _Like it?_" Her voice went couple of octaves higher "This is the most precious thing I have ever held in my hands. I can't believe you got this for me, this is so wonderful that I could kiss you right now."

Darcy had no response for what she said, he was happy that she was happy but he was not sure about her kissing him because there was no coming back from it. So when Lizzie actually came close to him, he automatically took a step back, he could not cross that line with her but he realized his mistake in the very next moment, her arms were wide apart and her smile was faltering slowly, she was only going to hug him to show how much she appreciated the present but his hesitation ruined the moment.

She awkwardly took a step back too "Oh yeah, propriety and stuff, sorry, I forgot."

Darcy stood there awkwardly too, he was embarrassed for creating that uncomfortable situation for both of them. If only he had swam with the tide, it would have been a pleasant and cherished memory for him, having her arms around him, feeling the beating of her heart close to his heart but he had lost that wonderful opportunity and he regretted his lapse in judgement.

To end the ever-extending awkward silence of the room Lizzie said quickly "Thank you Mr. Darcy, this is precious but I can't accept this."

"But why?" Darcy was solemn, did he made her so angry by his actions that she no longer wanted his gift, the one he so lovingly chose for her.

"You have any idea how invaluable this is" She held the book out to him "One day your great-great-great Grandchildren could sell it for hundreds and million of pounds, I can't keep it for myself."

That was not acceptable to Darcy, he could not think of his life beyond few years, how was it possible to comprehend the lives of his great-great-great grandchildren. He persisted "Miss Bennet, this is a present for you, you have to accept it."

"I said I can't take it with me, I'm not saying I won't use it" She smiled as she carefully leaved through the pages "Of course I'm going to use it, how can I not, I'll read it from cover to cover" she frowned a little realizing a problem "but I need to learn Latin first."

Darcy realized another wonderful opportunity to mend his previous mistakes, he replied enthusiastically "I can help you with that, I'll translate the Latin text into English for you."

"You will?" She was surprised by his generosity and his kindness, had he been abducted by aliens or brainwashed into a brand new personality in the past month. Everything he did then surprised her but she wasn't complaining, she was grateful.

"Yes, we can start first thing tomorrow" He assured her.

She suddenly beamed remembering something else and said with a satisfied smile "Maybe later because I have a surprise for you tomorrow morning."

"What is it?" Darcy was astonished by her proposal and he was eager to know.

"You know what surprise means, right?" She asked amusingly and he sighed frustratingly "I've been working on it for weeks and waiting for you to come home. Now, that you are here, tomorrow morning is the prefect time to show it to you."

"Then I will keenly wait for the Sun to rise tomorrow morning" Darcy could barely contain his joy, she not only missed him, she made something especially for him and was waiting to show him, he could not ask for anything more from the Lord.

"You don't have any problem in waking up at five in the morning, do you," She asked "because it's better to do it when everyone is asleep. But if you are too tired with your journey, we can do it day after tomorrow."

"No" Darcy said quickly "tomorrow is fine, I'm not tired at all."

"Cool," She said happily "sleep tight then, we have a long day ahead tomorrow."

Darcy nodded, he could not speculate what they would be doing, what that wonderful surprise was, the morning couldn't come faster for him. In his excitement and eagerness, he barely slept, he woke up every time the clock chimed announcing the hour and as soon as the clock rang for half past four, he jumped out of the bed and got dressed. He lifted the curtain and saw outside his window, the sky was starting to light up into the beautiful shade of red and he wondered what Lizzie has planned for him away from prying eyes, it had to be something related to her world, that's why she wanted to keep it a secret and with anticipation he went out to see if she was ready.

He paced at the bottom of the stairs for fifteen minutes and there was no sign of her, it was almost five o'clock and he was scared that she was still asleep, he quickly climbed the steps and forgetting about the proprieties he made his way to her bed chambers, he would just have to wake her up himself. He didn't need to go too far because he saw Lizzie walking towards him, she was fussing with her rucksack and did not notice him.

"Good morning Miss Bennet" Darcy greeted her before she ran into him accidently like before.

"Oh" Lizzie was startled for a moment, then smiled instantly "Good morning Mr. Darcy, I didn't see you there. Are you ready for your big surprise?"

"I can hardly wait" He replied.

She laughed "I hope you got a good night sleep because you need to be very attentive and on your top of your games for this."

Darcy nodded and instead of lying about his lack of sleep, he said "I will certainly try my best and I would have prepared for it if only I knew what we would be doing."

"You'll find out in few minutes" she chuckled mischievously.

Half an hour later Darcy was sitting in Lizzie's car in the field next to the lake where she had crashed months ago. In his absence, she had been very busy, she had found a way to make bio-diesel and recharged the battery and her car was up and running again and since he was so fascinated with it, she thought the best present for him would be to teach him to drive the car all by himself.

"So, are you ready to try it yourself now," She asked him patiently "or do you want me to repeat everything again?"

Darcy nodded at once, he was more than ready, he was very eager to drive the car himself "I remember everything… ignition, clutch, gear, accelerator, steering, break, everything. I'm ready Miss Bennet."

"Ok, then lets swap places."

The next minute Darcy was sitting at the driver's seat, he checked the neutral gear, hand breaks, rear view mirrors as per instruction. He turned on the ignition at Lizzie's go and felt the car purr at his fingers.

"Now, press down the clutch, put the first gear and then slowly let it go and press the accelerator." Lizzie instructed and he did exactly as she said and he was beyond thrilled when the car slowly started to mover forward. She smiled approvingly "You're doing great Mr. Darcy."

"It is not difficult as I previously imagined it to be" Darcy was proud at the speed of his progress, he was easily steering the car around in a wide circle and he was quite enjoying it too, instead of being nervous as he was afraid earlier. All that time he was amazed at that wonderful piece of machinery and he was in awe of Lizzie's talent at driving, and while driving himself he realized that it was not that different from riding the horse, one need to take the full control of the car just as the horse and guide it to the right path.

Lizzie encouraged him enthusiastically, Darcy was a fast learner and it would have been impossible to tell that he was driving for the first time, his confidence at his skills could fool anyone. He started to take steeper turns and his hold on the steering wheel was strong, his senses were alert and he was ready for more. She was little afraid when he increased the speed but since it was an empty field, there was no fear of traffic or accident, she didn't stop him, only advised him to be safe "Take it slow Mr. Darcy, you are doing great, don't rush into anything, you have time to practice."

Darcy smiled, he was enjoying the speed, it was thrilling "Do not worry Miss Bennet, I have complete command of this vehicle. This is quite fun, is it not."

Lizzie laughed hesitantly "Yes, it is fun but if the car breaks down, there is no mechanic to fix it here, so lets not take any risk. Alright?"

"If you insist." Darcy agreed reluctantly but he was eager to test his ability on rougher terrain and asked expectantly "It is quite easy to drive in the fields with no obstacle, should we try on the real and narrower roads?"

Lizzie was nervous at his suggestion, she tried to be diplomatic "It's almost six Mr. Darcy, people would be waking up, we don't want to be seen, do we?"

"Of course not, I will take the secluded road near the hills, no one goes there" Darcy tried to reason but she was still hesitant, so he said shrewdly "One never learn to swim at the shore Miss Bennet."

Lizzie chuckled at that and finally nodded "Okay but be extra careful, don't hit any trees and keep your foot at the break all the time for just in case."

Darcy beamed and manoeuvred the car towards the same forest where she came crashing down from, the trees were making it harder to speed but he twisted and turned the car cautiously, it was a good exercise to hone his skills. Lizzie was not saying anything, her eyes were fixed on the road ahead, Darcy also tried to concentrate on the road but he couldn't help stealing glances at her. She was looking little worried but she didn't ask him to stop the car, she trusted him and Darcy was grateful. He said "I never got the opportunity to thank you Miss Bennet for this wonderful present. This is one of the best presents anyone has ever given me, this is just as good as receiving my first horse on my seventh birthday. And I feel the same excitement driving this car as I felt riding my horse."

"I'm glad you enjoying this Mr. Darcy and you are just as good at driving as you are at riding. Are you sure you've never driven before?" Lizzie asked.

"I swear Miss Bennet, I have not."

"You could have fooled me. I bumped my father's car to a rubbish bin and almost ran over the neighbours' dog during my first lesson. Neither Mr. Wills nor my Dad were pleased and I wasn't this good until my tenth lesson. You are a natural Mr. Darcy." She stated with admiration.

He thought he was happy while driving the car, it was of no comparison to the happiness he felt hearing the woman next to her say that. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't trying to impress her, because he was. He always felt she was very accomplished and men in her world were more capable than him too, this was his opportunity to shine, to show Lizzie he was no less than any man in her time, he could do everything they could do and he was showing off with his recently acquired driving skills. What better way to impress her and prove himself then to show he was just as good as her, if not at being friendly and having knowledge about science but at driving the car.

He replied graciously "Thank you Miss Bennet, it is all because you are a wonderful teacher."

"And you are the best student, at least a much better student then I was." She replied just like him and added "It's time to go back, before everyone wakes up."

Darcy was in no mood to return but Lizzie was right, the servants were about to wake up and start the chores around the house, staying there every minute increased the risk of getting caught. He turned the car around towards Pemberly and sighed "Yes, you are right, we should go back but honestly, I have not had enough yet."

"We'll do this again soon Mr. Darcy" Lizzie assured him.

Darcy smiled like a child "Promise me, your soon will come very soon Miss Bennet."

Lizzie laughed "I promise" and held his hand that was on the gear stick, it was a natural and friendly gesture, nothing to think twice about, certainly Lizzie was not thinking of anything when she touched him ever so gently but it wasn't the same for Darcy. All his senses shut down, the only thing he could feel was her soft and cold hand on his. It was funny how when she touched him, his first instinct was not to retract but to take her hands in his own and only less than ten hours ago when she was trying to hug him he took a step back. Things change so quickly, circumstances change so quickly, feelings change so quickly. Maybe seeing each other after so long, sharing a huge secret, confiding each other's childhood stories, teaching each other the things they always wanted to learn, brought them closer, made then friends and bonded them with an invisible connection.

Darcy smiled at the warmth he felt, sitting couple of feet apart from her in a close confined space, he was not embarrassed by that, it was in fact welcomed and his smile lingered even when Lizzie removed her hand after couple of seconds.

What brought him out of his blissful trance was the shriek that came out of nowhere, actually it came from the woman sitting next to him and he realized his mistake a second later. Lost in his thoughts, he forgot to watch the road and he was going to hit a tree few yards in front of him and he panicked.

"Watch out" Lizzie yelled and turned the steering wheel herself to avoid the collision, Darcy had no idea what to do, he had forgotten all the instructions he had received from her and the only thing going inside his head was, how horrible death would be, not because of the hurt and pain of the crash but because he had barely lived the life he wanted to live and what will happen to Georgiana after him, she would be all alone in the world.

"Breaks…. Push the damn breaks" Lizzie shouted at him again, she was panicked and scared out of her mind, it was like that stormy night, the night that took her world away from her, but she wasn't ready to die yet, she had to go back to Chris, see him again, kiss him again and his thoughts was keeping her determined enough to not loose control of the steering wheel. Darcy wasn't helping, he was looking at her, looking at the trees ahead, looking at everywhere but do what he was ordered to do.

"Mr. Darcy," Lizzie said again urgently "push the breaks" and Darcy nodded but he could not remember which pedal to push, so he started to push each and everyone his feet could find and it wasn't helping, instead of slowing down, the car gained speed.

"Oh God, we are going to die" Lizzie said horrified, she shouldn't had allowed him to drive in the forest, they should have stuck to the plain and empty field but it was no time to regret, it was time for action. She steered the car herself to take them out of the forest and as soon as she saw the lake in front, she put the hand breaks on and the car stopped with a huge jerk. The air bags popped out on their faces and the inside of the car was filled with white powder, smoke and noise of coughs.

Darcy felt like he entered into one nightmare from another, the belts around his chest were so tight that he could barely breath, something exploded right on his face and he hit his head on the glass window and his ears were ringing in pain. But to his relief, he felt the door open and saw Lizzie's red face right next to his.

"Mr. Darcy, are you alright" He heard her worried voice, she quickly deflated the balloon that was choking him and then he felt her hands all over his body, she turned his head around to look for injury, her fingers then swiftly ran across his neck, chest and to his abdomen. He wanted to reply that he was all right but no words were coming out of his mouth, she was literally all over him, and the next moment he felt a huge relief and understood why. She was only trying to remove the rope that was imprisoning him to the seat and with one click he was free.

Lizzie then pulled him out of the car and he felt he got a new life as soon as his feet touched the grounds and his lungs filled with fresh air. They both plopped down on the wet grass and took a sigh of relief together. Nobody said anything, they just lied on the ground, relishing on the open space and oxygen.

Once the fear and panic of death subsided, Darcy looked at the car, it was scratched on few places and smoke was coming out from the front, Lizzie looked out of breath but she did not look injured and he thanked heaven for that small mercy. He could have never forgiven himself for hurting her and he never will for putting her life in danger. The other thing he would never forgive himself for was ruining the small amount of trust and friendship he had built with her. He knew Lizzie would be very angry at him for everything, for endangering her life, destroying her car and all the things she made to make it functional again, he was scared she would never talk to him again and that made him sad.

Darcy could not find the words to apologise for his mistakes, the guilt and misery was choking his throat and he could not even look at her. He thought at least he should thank her for saving his life when he failed to protect hers. He would gladly endure all the punishments for his actions but before he could say anything he heard her laughter.

Lizzie was laughing like a maniac, punching the earth with her fists, Darcy was confused, for a second he was afraid that she had lost her mind. Maybe she had because she could not stop herself when she realized the austerity and absurdity of the whole situation. She was a twenty first century woman teaching an eighteenth century man how to drive a car and almost got herself killed, how many people in the whole wide Universe in the history of time could say that. Her whole life she was never satisfied with what she had, she always felt she led a sheltered life and something was missing, she wanted more, she wanted adventures, she wanted to do something no one had ever done before and she got her wish, it all was coming true and she was happy and sad about it and she just kept laughing at how her life had turned up. It was an out of body experience.

"That was fun, that was the best damn thing ever" She laughed harder than ever "Wasn't it Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy just stared at her dumbfounded, she shouted excitedly "Come on, you have to accept it, it was fucking fantastic. We came so close to death and escaped it, we are the two people in the world who are living a life no one ever will, a life we never imagined. Who else in my world can say that they've been to eighteenth century England and who in your world can say that they drove a car."

Darcy understood what she meant, they are the only two people who could understand this, their shared experience had bonded them for life and it was irreplaceable and priceless. He started to laugh too, she was right, no one in the world is like them and he understood what she meant.

"It's the greatest fucking thing ever," Lizzie asked him "isn't it? Come on, I know you agree, so just say it."

Darcy did agree but he was not sure he would put his feelings in those exact words but Lizzie insisted, "Oh come on, live a little, do what you want to do, say what you want to say. I promise I won't say it anyone else, it'll be our little secret" she added mischievously.

"Alright, it was the greatest fucking thing ever" Darcy said boldly, somehow she was breaking all the walls that was hiding him from the world, keeping him safe and instead of being scared of coming out of his safe place and face the world, he felt free.

"It was so fantastic, I want to do it again." He shouted, he felt like he was injected with a new life drug, the fear he had when he thought he was about to die was overtaken by the new wave of thrill and adventure, it had swept his inhibition away and he wanted to conquer his fears and the world too. He wanted to live the life he imagined.

"Crash the car?" Lizzie asked.

"Why not. It was the best damn thing I ever did." Darcy was a new man at that moment.

Lizzie laughed and stood up, she shouted in that air "People of the world, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberly just cursed…. And in front of a Lady of top of that."

"Miss Bennet?" Darcy was surprised and embarrassed by her actions "You promised you will not say it to anyone."

"I lied" Lizzie replied with a crooked smile and ran as a child who broke the expensive vase and was afraid of retribution. And Darcy chased her "People of the world, do not believe Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she lies." They were six years old again, playing the game of cat and mouse, no fear of death, no fear of getting caught by the world, no fear of what will happen next, nothing could touch them at that moment. They were in fact free.

Darcy had not felt like that in a very long time, he had few vague childhood memories of feeling so happy and free but he could not confidently say if those were real memories or only his dreams. His life had never been same after the death of his beloved mother who died after childbirth, and he was left with an infant sister and a broken hearted father. Then his father passed away few years later, he was not even out of the University and he had the responsibility of his young sister and large Estate. He barely enjoyed his childhood or his adolescent years, no wonder he always thought he never had the chance to live the life he wanted to live. But that early morning, he felt it was not too late, he could be happy again, he could live the life he always dreamed of and that life consisted of him, Georgiana and Lizzie. The unsettling feelings, that made him restless all the time when he was away, was gone. He had made up his mind and a decision, that brand new day would be a start of a brand new chapter of his life.

Darcy not only learned how to drive a car that morning, he also learned what he wanted from his life and that was to keep Lizzie with him for the rest of his life as his wife.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed that chapter_

_Happy reading :-)_


End file.
